The Third Race
by sueKay-04
Summary: On a black ops assignment, Daniel sees a side to Jack O'Neill he wished he never had. Can he forgive Jack and solve the mystery before it's too late?
1. Default Chapter

Hello people! This was reposted as I couldn't find it at 

This was something that's been lying around on my computer forever. Please R&R!

* * *

Jack O'Neill walked down a corridor on level 28, just past the Gateroom. He was headed to his office on sub-level 27.

"General O'Neill!" He heard a voice shout to him. He turned round to see Walter Davis.

"Walter! Nice day! What is it that desperately needs my attention this time."

Walter looked annoyed.

"Sorry. I've just got to squeeze a little bit of sarcasm into every day!"

"The President's on the phone for you."

"Crap."

* * *

Sam was asleep on the table in her lab. She was startled into joining the land of the living by the annoying sound of a phone.

"For crying out loud." She mumbled.

"Oh crap!" She shouted, now fully awake. "Did I really just say that?"

Heaving herself to her feet, she picked up the receiver.

"Carter...Yes sir...I'm on my way up...I'll get them sir"

* * *

Daniel and Teal'c were sitting in the commissary. Daniel was having his usual toast. Teal'c was having his usual Fruit Loops™, Grapes, Prune Juice, Orange Jello ( He didn't understand how O'Neill or Colonel Carter could eat the red or blue varieties.), Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, Two Reeses Peanut Butter cups and a mug of coffee.

"I feel sick."

"Daniel Jackson?"

"How can you eat so much in the morning."

"My metabolic rate is much higher than that of any Tauri."

"But still...How can you eat so much without getting fat?"

Teal'c glared at his friend. "That information is classified."

"The gym?"

This earned him another glare from the Jaffa.

"Teal'c...You've hardly been using the gym on the base! How are you still in shape?"

Teal'c contemplated his friend's question.

"Classified."

"Fine. You don't want to tell me. I can handle that." Daniel sulked as he started chewing on his toast.

"Hey guys." Sam sighed as she half-staggered into the commissary, a yawn escaping her mouth.

"Hello Sam." Daniel shot her a puzzled look. "Fell asleep in your lab again?"

"Uh yeah."

"Are you wishing to join us Colonel Carter, or are you standing there to keep awake?" Teal'c asked.

"What...uh...no...The General wants to see us."

"What for?"

"I don't know...A mission or something."

* * *

Pete looked through his binoculars at the guy he and Captain Jones had been watching.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah. That's the guy we're after. He's been on the run since he was caught with 100 000 dollars worth of various drugs."

"We gonna nail him?"

"You betcha. We got all the info we need to get him behind bars for a long long time."

"I asked you this earlier, and you didn't give me much of an answer. Why did we need to stake out for the whole night? I missed the end of 24."

Jones turned to stare at Pete. " Why do you think I asked Viv to record it!"

"As for the stakeout...We didn't know exactly when this guy would turn up. We've had different reports from several reliable sources."

"Reliable." Pete snorted. "We gonna get him?"

"Yeah."

Jones started up the engine of the car, but stopped when Pete's phone rang. The polyphonic version of Nokie theme tune blared out at full blast. The drugs mogul in question broke into a sprint and was gone in seconds.

"Pete Shanahan you asshole!!" Jones screamed. "Answer that damn racket!!"

"Sorry..." Pete sighed in frustration, as he flipped his small phone open.

"Shanahan...Hey Sam...Jack want's me to come to the base? What for? I'm a cop for crying out loud! Not an Air Force officer! Huh...who? Right...I'm on my way...See you in an hour or so...bye."

"Who was that?"

"That was Sam...My girlfriend."

"Air Force."

"Yeah...Apparently her CO, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill wants me to go to the base for something."

"Well...The stakeout's just become a wash out...and you're not working on any cases at the moment. Jason can cover for you."

"Thanks captain."

* * *

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were sitting in Jack's office. Jack was currently briefing SG9 on their latest mission. Teal'c had taken the liberty to sit in Jack's plush leather chair, while Daniel and Sam looked around at the various bits and pieces adorning the room.

"What the?" Daniel said.

"Daniel?" Sam questioned.

"Have you guys looked at Jack's certificates?"

"I have not."

"I keep meaning to, but I keep forgetting."

"Well, come and look!"

Teal'c glared at Daniel again (It appeared to be his newest hobby). The Jaffa stoically refused to be removed from his chair. Sam walked over, and looked to where Daniel was pointing.

"Wow." Was all she could say.

"Academic excellence." Daniel commented.

"What?" Teal'c shouted.

Sam and Daniel turned to look at their friend, surprised at his outburst.

"Yeah Teal'c...It says he achieved academic excellence in Military sciences..."

"Lying asshole!" Sam muttered.

"...as well as Engineering."

"Idiot!" Sam growled.

Teal'c finally relinquished control of the chair, which Daniel promptly stole.

"I do not believe it." He said.

"Unfortunately I do." Sam was seething. "He's put on the dumb routine every time I've needed help, when he probably knows exactly what I'm talking about!"

"We already knew that Sam." Daniel said.

"Yeah...but to see it there in writing...It pisses me off!"

"What pisses you off Carter?"

Sam jumped to attention as Jack entered the room.

"Nothing sir!"

"She's just looked your academic excellence certificate. That's like a red flag to a bull."

"Not in my china shop please." Jack said staring at Sam. "Don't worry Carter. It was years ago...I never remember anything I learn."

"Right sir."

"Well kids...pick a chair, any chair...expect that one." Jack shot Daniel a warning look, causing the archaeologist to hastily move.

"What's this meeting about Jack?" Daniel asked.

"It's classified." Jack glanced up at SG1.

"Why does it involved Pete?"

"That's the classified bit."

Sam was puzzled. "What does a Denver Cop have to do with classified Air Force stuff?"

Jack looked at his 2IC, "That's the interesting bit."

* * *

Well folks? What did you think?

Press the ickle button to find out!


	2. The Mission Revealed?

Sorry about the wait guys, and thanks for all the feedback!!!

A/N : Given the current political climate, I've made up a Middle Eastern Country for this fic. It's called Irdan, and is completely fictional.

There'll be more explanations about Pete in later chapter.

Please R and R!

* * *

The Third Race Chapter 2

Sam exhaled slowly, as she straightened out her dickey. Making sure her medals were in place, she turned to inspect her dress uniform. Satisfied, she ran her fingers through her hair, making sure she tucked each errant strand behind her ears.

Her mind drifted to the subject of the briefing. She had been selected for Special Ops. Daniel had been picked for the civilian equivalent. Teal'c for his part had volunteered. Jack had encouraged the move.

Jack? When had he become Jack?

Sam couldn't remember.

Normally Sam would have said no. Her rank and tenure within the Air Force gave her the luxury of saying no.

But she was intrigued.

What did Pete have to do with it??

Pete...being Pete, had been quite coy and secretive about it, resulting in an argument. When things had sufficiently calmed down, they'd agreed to head the Cheyenne separately the next morning.

Sam always felt self-conscious in her dress blues. Her normal greens and blues were identical to the mens. But her dress uniform encompassed a skirt, reminding her that the Air Force saw her as being different.

As she strode down a corridor on Sub-level 27, she tugged at the garment, convinced it was working its way northwards. She entered the briefing room, still pulling and hauling at it. The quiet babble in the room turned to a hush, and Sam looked up.

"Ehm...Hi guys!"

Several Special Ops officers quickly detracted attention from her, returning to their impromptu arm-wrestling. A few of the men graciously got up, fetching Sam a seat.

"Colonel Carter. It's a pleasure to meet you." Said one of the men.

"Thank you Major?"

"Kawalsky...Tyler Kawalsky."

"Kawalsky as in Charlie Kawalsky's brother?"

"Yup! The one and only!"

Sam immediately relaxed. She'd always been at ease around Charlie, and it was evident his brother had the same demeanour.

"New to the ops?"

"Yeah."

"I've been in them for years. It's quite...tough going."

"I can imaging." Sam spoke, "Actually...I can't since most of it's classified."

This earned a chuckle from Tyler.

There was a slight hush in the room as another officer entered - Jack.

He was dressed in his Special Ops dress uniform, which was immaculately pressed. He also wore a few more medals than normal. Jack O'Neill (believe it or not) was the vision of military perfection.

Sam was surprised when no one called 'Ten hut' and was even more surprised when Jack sat at the table like any other officer.

"Hey Carter!" he called.

"Hello sir!"

There was a moment of silence between the two.

"Are you not in command sir?"

"2IC."

If Sam was confused before, she was now bamboozled.

She opened her mouth to speak, when Kawalsky stood up.

"Ten hut!"

The SOs all stood up, and Sam was a few seconds late.

The unit was at attention, as former Chief of Staff General Ryan walked in.

"At ease."

The nine officers sat down, just as the whirlwind of Daniel ran in.

"Sorry I'm late guys."

The calm that was Teal'c followed.

"Forgive our...tardiness...General Ryan."

"Alright gentlemen...Take a seat."

As the group settled, Ryan's aide whispered something in his ear.

"General O'Neill. Where's Commander Shanahan?"

Sam choked.

Tyler reached out and rubbed her back as chokes engulfed the hapless Colonel.

"Excuse me...Sorry" she said as the choking fit eased. "Did you say Commander Shanahan?"

"Sorry I'm late. Commander Shanahan reporting Sir." Pete snapped to attention.

Sam stared in shock horror at her fiancée.

Pete stood in full Special Ops dress uniform. He had a few medals, but nowhere near as many as Sam.

Sam was on the verge of saying something, when she felt a hand on her elbow. She turned round to see Jack level his 'warning eyes' at her.

_Don't say a word_ they said.

Sam figuratively bit her tongue.

"Take a seat." General Ryan intoned.

Pete took the seat to Sam's right.

_Between a rock and a hard place_ Sam thought as she looked over at the supposed 'rock' in her life - Pete. Her eyes drifted to Jack, then down to his crotch - the hard place.

_Samantha Carter! Get that thought out of your head!_

Forcing her thoughts away from 'the hard place', Sam thought about her new predicament.

What was 'Commander Shanahan' doing in a dress uniform?

"As you are all aware this is a mission of top level classification. To that end, Dr Jackson, Teal'c and Colonel Carter will be given new clearance codes. Now, if General O'Neill would like to outline our mission."

Jack stood up, and for the first time, Sam noticed that he had a solid metal briefcase with him. He placed it on the table, and entered a code. The case opened and Jack pulled out a bundle of files, which Ryan's aide quickly distributed throughout the company. Presently, Jack began to speak/

"We have had reports that the Middle Eastern State of Irdan have been experimenting with Genetic Manipulation. It has been discovered that a high concentration of humans with the Ancients Gene live in the area, and the Irdanian Genetics Council have been trying to integrate this into the Genome of ordinary humans.

An enquiry was set up to find out where the Irdanian Government got their information. While this was underway, a Japanese Geneticist, one Yodai Sakaya was reported missing.

Sakaya was meant to be on the Atlantis team, but backed out at the last minute. We don't know why. Sakaya is an expert on the Ancient Gene, that's why we were made aware of his disappearance. We are unsure whether or not he has been coerced into helping the Irdanians or if he's defected against Japan for political or economic reasons."

Kawalsky raised his hand. "Where do we come in?"

"Our unit will be carrying out operation Red Star. It will be a reconnaissance and infiltration op in Irdan. The unit will be split into two six-man teams. Team one will be lead by myself. It will contain Colonel Carter, Major Kawalsky, Commander Shanahan, Dr Jackson and Teal'c. Team one will be secondary recon."

One of the SO's raised his hand.

"Excuse me sir. Did you say that Colonel Carter will be participating.

"Yes Lieutenant. Carter has the expertise we need for an Op like this. She is also combat trained, and has been going offworld for almost eight years." Jack's voice had an edge to it, and the young officer quickly let the subject be.

"Team B will be primary recon. It's leader will be Colonel Jay 'Matt' Mason. Team members are Major Rory MacDonald, Major Ryan White, Captain Ross Dawson and Lieutenant James Gavinbyrne."

Colonel mason Stood up.

"Teams A and B will travel to the Irdanian capital Jhan, where they will attempt to locate Sakaya."

Jack stepped up to the projector, before bringing up a geographic schematic.

Mason continued. "This is the ancient quarter, known as Hadar Qar. Locals have reported seeing Irdanian militia me in the viscinity. We aim to find out what is so interesting that these rebels have compromised secure cover to investigate it."

The schematics changed to that of a hotel.

"A Japanese man is currently staying at this city centre hotel. While it's fairly commonplace for a Caucasian to be seen in the city. Asiatics rarely venture here. We need to find out what this man is doing."

"This Gentlemen...and Lady, is phase one of the operation. Phase two is simple - get Sakaya. Only team one will be involved in this part of the Op. Team B will be reassigned." Said Ryan.

Jack once more took the floor.

"After we have intel on where Sakaya is, we go after him. At this moment in time, we have no idea where he is. All we know is that he is not operating within Irdan. Team one will become an infiltration unit, and have been given permission to use deadly force. For Teal'c Dr Jackson and Colonel Carter: This means that if _anyone_ gets in your way, you kill them."

* * *

That's chapter two folks!

Intrigued? Let me know!


	3. Locker room angst

Here you go folks! Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews!!!

* * *

Chapter 3 - Locker room angst

Sam was sitting in the locker room, staring blankly ahead.

Why hadn't Pete told her he was in the services?

"Hey there!" She heard him call, as he walked into the room.

"Hi." She replied monotone.

"Listen Sam I..."

"I was just coming to talk to you too." Said another voice.

"General O'Neill!" They said in unison.

Jack remained silent as he made his way to sit on the bench opposite the pair.

The atmosphere within the room was thick and heavy with unspoken undercurrents. Jack decided to cut through it with a knife.

"The Pentagon doesn't know about your relationship."

"Sir?"

"I intend for that to be the case when we get back. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Said Pete.

"You're going to be operating within a command structure. Carter is your superior. At the moment, I'm breaking regulations just talking to you. You may be a Navy Officer, but the fraternisation regulations still stand."

"Yes sir."

"Carter. Were you aware of Pete's enlistment?"

"No."

"I wonder why." Jack's voice was like ice and his eyes like stone, as he levelled a dangerous glare at Pete. "Your relationship's on hold for the length of this mission. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"One false move and I will have to remove one of you for Court Martial."

"Yes sir."

With that, Jack abruptly left the room.

"That went well!" Pete chuckled nervously.

"I've got to get kitted up." Sam muttered, leaving Pete alone in the locker room.

* * *

Well,

Let me know what you think!


	4. Fruit and Nut

After a bit of a wait - here's chapter four!

AN - The Irdanian language made up here is just that - made up!

* * *

Three days later, Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Tyler and Pete sat in an USAF troops carrier lifting off from Kuwait.

"How long 'till we make Jhan?" Jack asked the pilot.

"Four hours sir...I've been ordered to drop you three miles from the city. Jhan is surrounded by mountains, so those should conceal our approach."

"When will the other team reach the city?" Sam asked.

"They'll reach the drop off point in two hours, and will make the city about and hour later. The terrain's quite tricky."

* * *

Four silent hours passed. Sam re read her latest paper. Daniel was reading a book on Nordic Cuneiform in an effort to become completely fluent in Asgard. Tyler sat scribbling something in his diary while Teal'c Kel'no'reemed. Jack and Pete however, had the staring/ glaring contest to end all staring/ glaring contests. The Chinook finally began to descend.

"That's us sir!" The pilot shouted.

* * *

An hour later, SG1, Pete and Tyler were walking towards the ancient part of the city - Hadar Qar. All were now dressed in the traditional local garb of a headdress and robes. Daniel and Sam were both wearing coloured contacts to blend in, and everyone was wearing make up to be less noticeable.

The border between civilisation and wilderness was precariously thin, as they suddenly found themselves inside the city boundaries.

"Sam, Teal'c walk ten paces behind Daniel and Pete. Tyler and I will be upfront."

"Sir. Why?"

Jack took a quick look back. "Local custom...everyone walks in pairs."

"Right."

After half an hour, they came upon a bustling market. There was an acrid burning smell emanating from what looked like an incense counter. A potent, sweet smell came from another.

"Carter. Not a word." Jack whispered.

He turned to the rest of the unit. "Hungry?"

Several heads confirmed the fact.

"None of us know Irdanian Jack." Daniel pointed out.

Jack turned to the younger man, rolled his eyes, then walked over to one of the counters.

"Dona ema shanal'i omanya." The male vendor asked.

"Dona ema shanal'i trama. Meena vol meega che omron che chasuk." Jack responded with the familiar greeting followed by his order.

"Mover mor?"

"Lonat hoy."

The man ran around, taking things from various small dishes.

"Lonat hoy meega?"

"Coro."

Next the small man picked up what looked like a shank of meat, coated in a viscous preservative.

"Omron?"

"Coro."

Finally, the man reached down under the small counter, before revealing a large flask.

"Movor mor?"

"Lonat sepl."

Jack handed over his canteen and the Hadarian trader filled it with a light cloudy liquid. Jack then walked up to his unit, taking everyone's canteens, before returning to the counter where they were promptly filled up.

"Movor mor?" Jack asked.

"Levat honor che spel."

Jack rooted into his pocket and pulled out several coins before handing them to the vendor.

"Chen."

"Dona ema shanal'i Jack."

"Dona ema shanal'i Warran."

"Chem'si."

"Coro dona ema."

Jack nodded to the young man before turning to the group.

"Dona ema shanal'i?" Daniel asked.

"Basically hello, goodbye and respect."

"Omron?"

"Treated Ox meat."

"Chasuk?"

"Moonshine...booze."

"Lovely...Meega?"

"Fruit and nut mix."

Tyler came up to join Jack and Daniel briefly as they made their way out of the Market Square.

"That guy knew your name."

"Yeah. That's Warran. Our primary civilian contact."

"Right."

Jack turned to the group.

"Fruit and nut anyone?"

* * *

Well... I'm guess you're thinking I'm as fruity as a nut cake or as nutty as a fruitcake at the moment!

Please R&R


	5. The seasrch begins

Thanks for all the review guys!!

AN: This is now set to become a Dark Jack fic. You have been warned :P

* * *

SG1, Pete and Tyler sat on a street kerb on the edge of Hadar Qar. They had all had a bite to eat, and were pleased to discover that Irdanian cuisine was quite palatable.

"How do you know Irdanian?" Daniel asked.

"Let's just say I've been here before."

Sam stood up and walked round to where Daniel and Jack were. "Sir. What are we waiting here for?"

"You'll see."

The group stared out at the bustling centre of Jhan, a mile or so from the slums of Hadar.

"Jack." Came a small whisper.

"Password." Jack whispered in response.

"Steenburger."

Tyler snorted.

"C'mon over."

Warran came into view. "Dona ema shanal'i."

"Dona ema shanal'i."

"Jack." Warran intoned, leaning over towards him. " Cosul von makrana tl insnor ohm lona meekhler gabat'i chono."

"lona Samantha Carter gabat'i jhovnor'i gotto."

"Dregari?"

"Coro."

"Sir?" Tyler asked.

"Everybody...this is Warran. He lives In Jhan and works here in Hadar. He's an informer for the US, Britain and Russia."

"Hi." Warran said, raising a hand.

"Hi." Was the collective response from the unit.

"Forgive me Colonel Carter, but this is not a woman-friendly place...You will need to be careful."

"Thank you. But I think I can handle" Jack butted in.

"Carter...Warran knows what he's talking about...believe me...Warran...This is Commander Shanahan, Major Kawalsky, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c...and Colonel Carter."

"Dr Jackson...There are a lot of interesting things to see in Hadar Qar, especially where we will be going."

"Thank you."

"Sir." Pete began, "Team B are here."

The group looked up to see primary recon' walking their way.

"Sir." Colonel Mason began as they came to stop next to SG1, "There was no sign of Sakaya."

Jack muttered to himself.

"Sakaya is long gone." Warran remarked.

"Report." Jack said, ignoring the boy.

Colonel Mason sighed, putting the safety back on his well-hidden P90. "We got to the hotel and made enquiries about Sakaya. We were told that he'd departed two days ago , but no-one knows where he's gone. We did a check on his room and found nothing."

"Did you ask around? Y'know...shops, cafes?"

"Yeah. A few seemed to know something but I think they'd been told to keep quiet."

Jack absorbed this information while Pete began talking.

"So...the lead on Sakaya's cold?"

"No." replied Jack, "Warran...any intel?"

The sun was getting low in the sky, and Warran rubbed his hands together, trying to expel the advancing cold.

"I checked out the Qar catacombs as you asked Jack."

"Yeah."

Warran leaned forward. " As you are aware, there are militants throughout Irdan. Normally, they operate covertly in small groups of three and four...The government is popular in this area, so the militants normally only do reconnaissance here...But when I checked Qar...there were at least a dozen...out in the open...guarding some sort of artefact."

"How could it possibly be so important that these militants would risk their necks for it?" Sam asked.

"It could be something religious." Daniel surmised.

"Or it could be of value to a third party."

Jack sat still, working out what to do.

"Right kids...here's the plan...There's a hotel in Jhan that we should be okay to stay in for the night. We'll get the Jhan by foot but we'll need to be quick...It's...unwise to be out at night here."

"Right sir." Said Tyler.

"Warran...we'll reconvene here at 5.30 we'll head to the catacombs at 0600."


	6. The list

Here we go kids -chapter five!

AN - This is a very dark chapter towards the end. It relates to Jack's black op days. If you dislike Dark Jack fics, then you probably won't like this.

* * *

"Don Vala." Jack called as he and the teams walked into Jhan's Lorvahn Hotel. 

"Dona ema shanal'i. Chevra?"

"Coro…Saml tago."

"Maga togola semee?"

"Coro."

The receptionist pulled out six keys from behind the desk while Jack reached into his wallet, bringing out a black credit card. The receptionist swiped the card then gave it back to Jack along with a receipt.

"I hope you will be having good time in Jhan." The boy tested his English.

"We will…Don ema shanal'i."

"Dona ema shanal'i."

Jack smiled and walked back to the two units.

"Mason…Here's three keys for your unit…Sort out your men."

"Thank you sir."

"Shanahan…You'll share with Teal'c. Carter…You and Daniel will share…Tyler…You're with me okay."

Both teams moved off, heading upstairs towards the rooms. Pete however, held back,

"Commander?" Jack questioned.

"Daniel. She's sharing with Daniel?"

"Yes."

"Sir…I wouldn't anything to jeapordise Sam's"

"I know…because you're not going anywhere near her tonight."

Pete glared at Jack. "Fine sir." He turned to leave.

"Pete."

The commander turned around.

"Keep away from Sam."

"Or what?"

"Heard of 'deadly force'?"

Jack walked away slowly, leaving the cop to his own thoughts.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, SG1's team were crammed into Sam and Daniel's room. They all had their Chasuk filled canteens, and were reminiscing on times past. 

"So we're running through this jungle right, trying to get away from these Warlords….Then me and Charlie hear this blood curdling scream. We look back and Jack's gone, so we assume the worst…Now in the ops, you never leave a man behind, so we stop running and head back to where Jack's screamin' his head off…till we see him, clambering halfway up a tree, babbling like an idiot…because he saw a mouse!"

The team burst out in disbelieving laughter.

"Oh thank you Tyler…My phobia's just hilarious isn't it?" Jack gruffed moodily.

"You know…there was a mouse incident on Abydos." Daniel added mischeviously.

"Right right right…enough of the mouse stories!" Jack whined.

"I wish to hear it." Teal'c said.

"Yeah! C'mon Daniel!" asked Sam.

Daniel pursed his lips, attempting to hide a smirk.

"Long story short…Jack saw a mouse…Jack shrieked…Jack decided to go running backwards…Jack ended up at the bottom of the water well."

Sam snorted, trying to contain her giggles, "We're you an elephant in a past life sir?"

"Oh…ha…ha." Jack grumbled.

"C'mon Jack! Can't you see the funny side? The big military man who's afraid of cute fluffy animals???" Tyler chuckled.

"Can we laugh at someone else phobia for a while??"

"Penguins!"

Sam turned to Pete "Penguins?"

"Well yeah…I keep having this recurring dream…I'm being chased by a polar bear"

"Aren't they at opposite poles?" Jack commented.

"Yeah…but it's a dream…Now this Polar bear's running after me…I see a lot of penguins in the distance, and I think if I can reach them I'll be safe…By the time I get there, I realise that something's wrong…The penguins come towards me in their thousands…Then they being chanting 'RST RST RST'…Then I wake up."

"Pete…" Tyler began. "Jack has a brother called Bob…He's a shrink."

Everybody began giggling and chuckling.

"I think I'll pay him visit." Pete laughed.

"I'm afraid of cotton wool."

The room went silent and everyone turned to look at Sam.

"Huh?" said Jack.

"I keep thinking it's out to get me."

"And moving on from that truly disturbing note." Daniel said. "I'm afraid of

mushrooms."

"And people think _I'm _a wacko?" Jack said.

"I am afraid of fair ground rides…They are most sinister." Teal'c commented.

"Jack…No wonder you're a certified loony…Look at the team Hammond saddled you with!" Tyler chortled.

"And speaking of saddling…I'm about ready to hit the sack." Jack informed the unit.

"Yeah."

"Right kids…bedtime."

* * *

Sam finished brushing her teeth, rinsed and went through to the main room. Daniel was lying on the other bed, scrawling something in his journal. 

"Hey." She called, making him look up.

"Hey."

"What are you writing about?" Sam asked, pulling back the covers on her bed.

"My day on Hadar with Tyler and the four head cases."

"Huh?"

Daniel smirked. "Mice penguins, cotton wool, mushrooms and merry-go-rounds."

Sam got into bed, pulling the sheets up around her. "Well…when you put it like that!"

Sam pulled out her palmtop and stylus and began scribbling away.

"What are _you_ writing about?" Daniel enquired.

"The fate of the universe…" Sam started grandeously. "General Mouse, Colonel Cotton,, Dr Mushroom and Merry…the elite team…SG Bonzo."

Daniel snorted as he put his notebook away. He looked up at Sam who was now away in a world of her own.

"You okay?"

Sam blinked, returning to the present, registering the question. "It was always just the four of us…Now it's so different."

"You miss him when we're away…don't you?"

"Yeah…don't get me wrong…Jack's a brilliant commander but…his heart belongs in the field."

"With you."

Sam's heart stopped beating. "What?"

* * *

"You got the list?" Jack asked Tyler once they were in the safety of their room. 

"Yeah…Hammond gave it to me before we left for Kuwait."

Tyler handed a small plastic container to Jack. Jack then removed the lid, and let a small note fall out.

"Anyone we know?" Tyler asked as Jack carefully read the note.

"Yeah."

"Problem?"

"No."

Jack handed the note to Tyler.

"Smaller than normal…Only five names."

"Yeah."

Jack and Tyler peered at the list, contemplating what to do.

"These three we can do tonight." Jack said, pointing to three of the names. "These two by injection…this one by knife…The other two we can do tomorrow."

"I'd wondered why he was so suddenly recalled to active duty." Tyler said.

"I though it was because he knew of the Stargate programme."

"They must have known he was the security leak."

"Yeah."

Jack got up reaching for his pack. He pulled out his AF make up kit and put his Irdanian robes back on. Tyler did the same. When both were ready, Jack pulled out a small case from his pack. He opened it, inspecting the contents. He grinned.

"Any of the other team members know?" Tyler asked.

"Mason knows…but he doesn't know who."

"SG1?"

"No…no…I don't want them to know."

"They know you're trained for this."

"But they don't know I've ever used this training."

* * *

"I don't know what to do Daniel…I know that I _should _marry Pete…but I can't stop thinking of Jack." 

Sam let the tears roll down her cheeks, no longer trying to keep them in check. She'd just confessed everything to Daniel, and was surprised at how quickly the weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"You know what I think…I think you should go and talk to Jack right now."

Sam's heart constricted in her chest. "I-I can't."

"You have to…You have to sort it out…Love's the most important thing in your life…You have to see what Jack says."

Sam began fidgeting. "I-I just"

"Another thing…You can't do this op tomorrow if you're in a state like this." Daniel rose from his bed. "I'm going to get him…okay?"

Sam sniffled, then nodded.

Daniel got up and left the room. He turned to his left, the direction of Jack's room, and when he reached the door, he knocked, waiting on a response. When no-one answered, he took out his pen-knife and carefully picked the lock. He was glad Sam had shown him how to do it.

Daniel found himself standing in an empty room. What was going on?

A few moments later, Daniel returned to his room.

"Where's Jack?" Sam said.

"He's uhm…sleeping…didn't want to wake him."

"Oh…right…thanks Daniel."

"No problem."

As Daniel switched off the light, his mind turned to Jack.

_What are you doing Jack? What are you doing?_

* * *

Well there ya go! 

That was chapter six! Confused? So am I!


	7. investigating crime

Okay kids…

I would like to apologise for the delay, but here's the latest instalment of The Third Race!

Thanks to Aligater - yes I know someone who's afraid of cotton wool!, Sci fi Gillian, Lieutenant's Lady, RoseoftheGate, jnp, Leanne, ChristinaS.

* * *

Daniel awoke with a start. A faint banging sound registered and as he grudgingly embraced the waking world, the banging became a hammering on the door.

"Danny boy…Sam…C'mon…get up!"

"Daniel?" Sam croaked. "Why is he shouting at us? It's five O'clock."

The hammering became fainter as Jack moved to another door.

"T…Pete…c'mon…up!"

You would never expect Jack to be a morning person." Daniel commented.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, both teams were up and ready.

"Hey Sammie!" shouted Pete.

"Hi…Commander." Sam said, reinforcing the regulations.

Pete's face fell. Slowly, he turned and walked over to Gavinbyrne of Team B.

"So Jack…Why the early start?" Daniel asked.

"We're better getting ready early."

"Where were you last night?"

Jack stopped fidgeting and fussing with his kit. He looked Daniel straight in the eye.

"I was busy."

"Really?"

Jacks glare became unfamiliar. Distant. Deadly. It chilled Daniel to the core. Jack turned away slowly, addressing teams A and B.

"All right kids! Ready for our 'expedition'?"

Ten head nods and an eyebrow from Teal'c confirmed that.

"Let's go!"

Both teams turned and walked down the stairs leading to the foyer.

The reception was abuzz, swarming with Police Officers. Jack however, was nonplussed, walking calmly to the desk and handing over the six keys.

"C'mon kids." He called cheerily, striding towards the swing doors.

Daniel looked around at the melee of officers. Having spent a day in Hadar Qar, he could make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.

"I.30 am", "knife", "three", "time of death".

He listened more carefully, deciphering a full sentence.

"Three murders last night. Two were drugged. The other's throat was slit."

"Don Molga. Chekak chon alma!" one of the doormen shouted at Jack.

"What's going on?" Sam whispered to Daniel.

"From what I can make out…there's been a triple murder…no-one's allowed to leave."

"Oh my god."

"Excuse me." One of the officers said. "I am sorry to be giving you this problem but there's been murder here. We must be investigating everyone."

"Of course sir." Said Daniel, who stopped upon hearing Jack shouting at the doorman.

"I think you're murderers have left already! I doubt they'd have stuck around."

"Sir…please wait in the rest room."

"Oh for crying out loud!"

Both teams listened in as Jack calmed down. Then they collectively headed for the rest room.

Half an hour passed. The three bodies were wheeled by. Two appeared purple and blotchy. Whatever they'd been poisoned with had stopped their hearts. The other, an old bearded man had his throat cut in a clean slit.

The senior police officer came over to talk to them.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's no problem officer…We might still make the tour."

"Tour?"

"We're archaeologists. We're touring the Middle-east studying the architecture and visiting various digs."

"I see."

Jack huffed a little. "What happened here?"

The police officer rocked back and forth on the balls of his issue boots.

"There were three murders. It looks like they killed each other…All three were respected businessmen here in Jhan. Two were partners…the other a rival. Their names were Cono Mana, Shevnar Lonor and Tevnek Shahk. We think Shahk poisoned Mana. In retribution for Mana's death, Lonor slit Shahk's throat, but not before he too was poisoned."

"Lovely." Mason sighed.

"Is that the end of the investigation?" Tyler enquired.

"Yes."

"Are we free to go?"

"Yes…Again we apologise."

"No problem." Said Jack. "Okay people…we're off to the dig…Dona ema shanal'i, officer"

"Dona ema shanal'i, sir."

The group all got up and headed for the exit. Jack and Tyler held back, and Daniel watched as the exchanged a firm handshake. The pair then left the room, and Daniel caught Jack by the elbow before he could walk off.

"I know what you did." Daniel spat in Arabic.

"I know you do…and if you know what's good for your health…you'll never mention this again." Jack responded in Spanish. "Another thing…Arabic is this country's second language…Don't use it."

Jack gripped Daniel's wrist, causing the younger man to wince and retreat. Jack then walked of glaring at Daniel.

Daniel exhaled sharply. He'd just seen the side of Jack O'Neill he'd hoped never to see, and it terrified him.

Jack terrified Daniel.

"Sir…where are we going?" Sam asked.

"The Hotel Company do checks on Westerners' rooms. Tyler and I took all the specialist equipment and stashed it down this way." Jack responded, turning down an alleyway. "Stay here." He intoned, while he and Tyler jogged down to some dumpsters.

A moment later, they reappeared with another full military pack. Jack removed his own pack, opened it, then started placing items from the new pack inside it. Tyler did the same, and Daniel watched as Jack discretely wiped a large blade, before putting it back into it's sheath and attaching it to his belt.

"We ready?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah…Let's get Warran."


	8. Passageway

Hello folks!

Here's chapter eight.

Irdanian language note: words ending ''i' sound 'I'

Irdanian Geographical note: Jhanian citizens see Hadar and Qar as being separate from Jhan. In reality, Hadar is a district, with Qar being a burgh within it.

* * *

**Passageway**

"Jack!" Came a call as the teams walked through the Hadar suburbs.

"Warran! Dona ema shanal'i!" Jack responded cheerily.

"Your team are early."

"Yeah…Thought we'd be better getting an early start."

"Ah! I see! Well, follow me!"

Warran scurried off, down an alleyway to the right, cutting between two stone precipices within Hadar's wall. There were several pillars of rock similar to them dotted throughout the mountainous north of Jhan. This gave Hadar a strangely enclosed, yet open atmosphere.

"Where'd he appear from Sir?" Sam questioned her CO.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Twenty minutes had pass, and the groups were beginning to feel like they were going in circles. Jack Tyler and Mason - they'd been down this road before - literally.

The narrow, crooked sandy walls that lined the suburban backstreet began to grow apart, and the group found themselves standing in the same bustling Market Square as the previous day.

"Sir. The Qar temple's in the other direction."

"I know."

The hustle and bustle was refreshing and relaxing. The potent spices welcomed them in, and Daniel found himself drawn in by one scent in particular…

"Daniel! That's Kerbie Karvaval…It's a powerful narcotic."

"Oops!"

Teal'c brought two fingers up to his face and began to hold his nose.

"Stay here kids." Jack ordered, before Warran led him off.

The group watched him from afar, as he and Warran began a discussion with a stall owner on the opposite side of the court. It became apparent that there had been a misunderstanding, as Jack was suddenly presented with a scantily clad woman. Jack vigorously shook his head before returning her to the stall owner. The man suddenly realised what Jack was after, as he raised and index finger and ran off.

Daniel shuffled his feet. He didn't like being in the dark, even if the sun was glaring into his glasses with early morning ferocity. The old man at the stall had returned and handed Warran a small parcel. For the first time in years, Daniel cursed his short sightedness.

"Sam?"

"I don't know what's happening either Daniel."

Jack could be seen inclining his head to the older man, before he and Warran turned, heading back to the anxious group.

"Come. I will show you the Qar Vanlor'i."

"Vanlor'i? That's Goa'uld for passageway." Daniel commented.

"Ah yes…The Goa'uld and the Chapa'ai are common knowledge here now…We keep it a secret from unknowing outsiders…Our government told the whole country when ever government was informed. Many of us already knew as the stories have been passed down for millennia. We were able to keep the sceptics quiet."

"I see."

"The passageway is one of the few remnants of this area's Goa'uld occupation many millennia ago. Some scientists came over after Disclosure and confirmed that Bastet had control over Irdan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Kurdish Turkey."

"Really? How was this discovered?"

"The government sent in a team, including Sakaya to translate the glyphs and hieroglyphs of the Vanlor'i." Warran answered.

"When was this?"

"A week after the Antarctic incident. You would have been on the team, but you were too busy looking for a way to save Jack."

Tyler began to talk. "We only found out about this research after Japan reported Sakaya missing and the Irdanian authorities placed him in the area."

Jack began to speak. " The Irdanian government gave the key for the Vanlor'i to Jahv'nan'i - the man we were just talking to. He's a much-respected elder and was trusted with the key's safe keeping. They don't know he's an informer."

"Oh."

"What about his daughter?" Sam asked quizzically.

"She's twenty and refuses to wed, so he's showing her off to men to see if one takes her fancy." Warran said matter-of-factly.

"Where is this Vanlor'i?" Teal'c asked.

Warran smiled at the Jaffa. " I will show you!"

The small man turned to his left, cutting down another alleyway. Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Pete, Mason and his team following.

"He moves fast for a little guy!" Pete commented.


	9. Pyramidal Peak

Here's chapter 9

A special mention to Bru'tak of SG999 - I 'borrowed' his information for Bastet ;-)

Well…I hope you like.

After this chapter…the title should make sense!

* * *

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the group arrived at the tunnel entrance.

"Why do we need to take this route?" Gavinbyrne enquired.

"Qar is too heavily guarded. This is the only way." Warran supplied the answer.

"Warran…Key."

The Jhanian complied, handing over the bundle wrapped in a tweed-like material.

"Coro." Jack thanked him. "Carter. Shanahan, Gavinbyrne…take point."

The three officers drew their weapons and turned to face away from the tunnel entrance.

Jack removed the coarse material, and found himself looking at a golden amulet with a Cat motif. Pure gold, large emeralds adorning the middle section.

"Wow." Daniel said.

"The key is most beautiful. I have seen it many times, as I regularly come to the Vanlor'i to view the glyphs."

Jack held the Bastet amulet between his thumb and index finger, while he reached out with his free hand to remove the sand from the lock. He put the key in place, and the beige-brown stone slab crept open. Jack took out his P90, flicking on the flashlight.

"That is not required." Said Warran, pulling Jack back. Warran reached up to the shallow roof of the Vanlor'i. A small click was heard, then suddenly the tunnel was bathed in yellow light.

"Sweet! When'd it get wired?"

"It was completed just last week!"

"Right…well then Warran…lead the way. Mason. Carter. Bring up the rear. Kawalsky. Shanahan. Gavinbyrne…you're with Warran and I…You will all receive assignments when we get closer to Qar, once I've further assessed our situation."

Warran stepped into the tunnel, Jack followed.

* * *

The tunnel was cramped and everyone was awfully close together. The ceiling was very shallow, and everyone was crawling on his or her hands and knees. Pete was right behind Jack, and for the briefest of moments, he had the urge to let one go in Pete's face. Jack's farts were deadly.

It'd serve him right too.

Chuckling inwardly, he thought of the consequences of Teal'c farting in Pete's face...

He chuckled inwardly again, before he saw the tunnel widening ahead.

"Okay kids…we've gone for a small break now. We're gonna stop here at this wide section and take a break. Kawalsky…Warran…You're going to head on to the Qar temple…I wanna know how many rebels we're dealing with."

"Yes sir."

Warran scurried forward, obviously looking forward to finding Qar's secrets.

"Kawalsky." Jack called.

"Yeah?"

Jack leaned over and whispered something to his friend. It sounded Cantonese, but since Daniel was ashamedly not fluent in a single Asiatic language, he couldn't be sure.

"Daniel…Don't worry about not understanding what we were talking about…It was a private joke."

"Right…sorry about um…eavesdropping."

"We'll be back before you know it sir." Tyler said cheerily.

With that, he turned to catch up to his speedy companion.

The remaining group were silent. It was obvious that the general mood was not good.

"Jack." Daniel said.

"Yeah?"

"How many languages do you know?"

Sam and Pete's curiosity was piqued at the rather odd-placed question. They shot each other a nervous glance. It was obvious the mood would soon be going further downhill.

Sam was worried. Had Daniel said something about her confessed love for Jack? She shifted her eyes to the figure of Pete, and suddenly felt slightly sick and nervous.

"How many languages do I know? We're on a mission for crying out loud. This is no time for jokes."

"Then what _were _you talking to Tyler about?"

"That would be classified. Doctor."

Sam gulped and shot Teal'c a worried look. Jack had never once called Daniel 'Doctor'.

"Really? Seems there's a _lot_ of 'classified' stuff going on."

"Daniel."

"Do you want me to tell them? I always worried about who you really were Jack…Now I know…and it scares me."

"Daniel?" Sam said cautiously.

"Daniel…I don't think right now is the appropriate time to be having fights…If there's one thing I've learnt from Sam, is that it's always better to work as a team."

"Pete…Stay out of this." Daniel warned.

"I think we should all cool down." Mason said, shooting Jack a look.

"Yeah…" Began Jack, "…For everybody's benefit."

An awkward silence descended in the tunnel. Sam shifted away from Pete, sitting closer to Teal'c. Daniel moved closer to Jack, peering into his eyes. Jack's cold unstaring glare looked back.

Soon, footsteps were heard, and Tyler and Warran could be seen.

"Report Major."

"There's a lotta guards, but enough for us to take. I recommend we split again."

Jack pondered this.

"Okay Team Alpha will be search and retrieve. The team will consist of myself; Kawalsky, Daniel, Shanahan, Gavinbyrne and Warran…We will further spilt into smaller teams. Daniel, Kawalsky…you'll be working together. Gavinbyrne, Warran…You two as well. Pete…you'll be on your own, as will I."

"Yes sir."

"Daniel…you and Kawalsky will infiltrate the inner sector of the temple. You will look for whatever has piqued the rebels' curiosity…Warran Gavinbyrne…You two look for anything else of interest. Pete and I will be covering your backs."

"What about us sir?" Sam asked.

"Mason will be your commander. You'll lay low avoiding the rebels. If we're discovered, you're our backup."

"Yes sir."

"Okay folks…let's get moving."

* * *

Five minutes passed, and the group found themselves looking up through and ancient grate into the grounds of Qar temple. The Vanlor'i had taken then to within the walls. Daniel noted that the architecture was similar to that he'd seen at Abydos in Egypt. There was little similarity to the alien city that was its namesake. A couple of rebels were already visible, pacing back and forth. A few swift hand signals from Jack made his intentions clear, as he loaded up a small, concealed weapon. He brought it to him mouth and blew with all his might. A tiny dart shot out, hitting one of the guards in the shoulder. The guard removed it, and turned as if to run and tell his superiors. He never made it, silently dropping to the ground. His fellow watchman saw this, and also made a break for it. Again, the dart hit its target, the rebel dropping like a stone.

"Carter…Teal'c…I want those bodies cleared on my mark."

Jack waited patiently, and was relieved when no other militiamen appeared.

"Mark."

Jack opened the grate, quickly, quietly and ran forward. Sam and Teal'c were out at his back, and together the three of them removed the guards from sight, taking them back to the vanlor'i. Jack beckoned the search and retrieve team, before he headed off, like a Black Panther searching for its prey.

Daniel, Pete, Kawalsky, Gavinbyrne and Warran ran out, following Jack, while the rest looked on.

"What now?" Sam asked Mason.

"We wait."

* * *

"Fan out!" Jack hissed, as the team prowled further into the temple's heart. "Warran! Gavinbyrne...Head out to those pillars in the open!" He said, pointing towards the light. "Pete. Go up that flight of stairs, up to that veranda and take point."

"Aye sir."

"I'm going to go in a further hundred yards. Then I'll hold too."

"Right sir."

* * *

A hundred yards had, at the time seemed a big enough distance for secondary objective, but now that the time had come, he didn't feel well enough prepared.

"Tyler. Daniel…the heart of the temple's straight on in, about fifty metres."

"Yes sir." Said Tyler. "Good luck."

"Same to you."

With that, Jack turned and headed up a staircase to the left. He watched Kawalsky and Daniel head off to look for the target. He reached the balcony and waited. Secondary objective - name number four on the list - was approaching.

* * *

"This is incredible!" Daniel whispered.

"Yeah. I'll say." Tyler agreed, as they looked at the small device.

"This script is one I don't know how to read it…It isn't human or Ancient."

"Really?"

The pair peered at the green pyramid, about twelve inches in height.

"Oh! Hello." Daniel said, his eyes homing in on what he was looking for - a small line of ancient script.

"For instructions, see base."

"You're kidding me!" Tyler scoffed.

"Nope that's what it says."

Daniel unclipped his pack, gently setting it down on the sandy marble. He unzipped it, and pulled out a thin pair of surgical gloves.

"Doctor?"

"Past experience…Don't touch what you don't know."

"Does that apply to women too?"

"That's funny."

Daniel handed a pair of gloves to Tyler.

"Pink? Are you kidding?"

Daniel glared at him.

"Here's a list of things that could happen - you could get trapped in the body of an old man…you could get pinned to the wall and inhabited by an entire alien race…you could do a body swap with a cybernetic organism and get deleted…or you could have everything that an entire alien race, millions of years old, learnt downloaded into you brain…twice."

"Pink's good."

Carefully, the pair lifted the device. They set it down on the ground, turning it sideways to read the bottom. Four languages were displayed on the bottom, and Daniel sucked in his breath, as he read the Ancient's portion.

'Here this. There was once a great alliance of four great races in this galaxy. The Asgard. The Nox. The Furlings. And the Ancients. For Aeons, we went unchallenged, say for a few skirmishes with the Tok'ra/Goa'uld alliance. However, a much greater foe appeared, near-defeating the Ancients and decimating our combined forces. The legacy of one of our member races has been contained within four devices, each in the symbol most closely embedded in each culture. For the Asgard - a Sphere - a symbol of perfect harmony and cohesion. For the Nox - A Dual flower - a symbol for the great power of Desala. For our Ree'tou companions, our possible sixth member after the Ancient's Tauri brethren - a mettle fly - symbolising their insectiod ancestry and how far they have come. And for the Ancients and their Tauri cousins - a pyramid - a symbol of their ingenuity and unique thinking. These four devices can be found on their respective homeworlds, and all four must be linked to learn the legacy of the Furlings - and also to find the remnants of their people.'

"Sweet!"

"Oh my god." Daniel said, his voice full of awe. "This is the greatest find that's ever been…found!"

"Right…I'm sure it is…let's look for more."

* * *

Jack was biding his time. His target in clear sight. He gritted his teeth, the strain of the task weighing heavily on his mind. Despite what Daniel thought, he was not a cold-blooded killer. He mourned for each man he'd ever hurt. Each man he'd ever slaughtered. There was a time when he was a cold-blooded killer, but that was decades earlier. His task was eating him up, but he would do it. He would carry out the assignment. He didn't want anyone else to feel the burden of being an assassin. As long as he was still doing that type of mission, there was one less person to recruit to Black Ops.

* * *

"Found anything?" Gavinbyrne said to Warran.

"No…I'm not sure there's anything here."

"Why did the General order us here?"

"He must have thought there was something of value in the pillars."

"Well I'm not so sure." Gavinbyrne spat, striding out into the open.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to that damn tunnel!"

The rebels opened fire…

* * *

Sam's heart stopped when she heard the shots.

"C'mon people! Move!" Mason shouted, shepherding his team into the open.

The six of them emerged, Mason and the Black Ops officers immediately taking the brunt of the fire. Sam ran towards cover, Teal'c following. She looked at the Black Ops men, two still moving.

"McKenzie! Get him outta here!" She shouted at the most lucid. He hazily nodded, and dragged the lieutenant back in, out if sight.

"Colonel!" She shouted to Mason as she began to return fire to the rebels.

It was no good. He was already dead.

* * *

"Shit!" Daniel cursed as the reverberating echo of the shots reached his ears.

"C'mon…We're outta here!" Tyler said.

"I don't think so…We're surrounded."

* * *

"You idiot! You mavee nono!" Warran screamed as he watched Gavinbyrne dodge the shots and return fire. Warran took out his smuggled AK-47 and joined the fight against the rebels.

* * *

Sam shot one of the rebels, and he fell screaming from his lofty perch to the hard, sandy ground. Teal'c took out his zat'nikatel, thinking it would be a more effective weapon. He stood up to take aim, but he was hit.

* * *

Pete was hiding, hoping to take out the rebels individually. His speciality was as a marksman - he was useless in a direct firefight. On seeing a rebel patrolling the roof, he stood up, aiming his weapon…

* * *

Jack's objective was in plain view. The blood pumping round his veins. At this time his old instincts came into full effect, and Jack reverted to the person that terrified him most. Himself. The adrenaline was like an aphrodisiac as it coursed through his system, and his target came into perfect range. He squeezed the trigger, anticipating the perfect moment to strike.

* * *

Pete squeezed the trigger, aiming at the rebel, but was distracted by a sandy blur in his field. He looked up to see Jack aiming. He couldn't react in time. There was nothing he could do, as Jack fired the fatal shot…

* * *

Well…review please!

Suz


	10. Interlude

Hey there!

I'd like to apologise for the delay. I decided to take a break from fanfiction over the Christmas break. When I went back to writing, I realised that I had terrible writer's block. It's only just going away!

Thanks toKalystia, Mallorvorwen, ChristinaS, Ivy Tearen, seanait, roseofthegate, mishy, Su Freund, Archantel and Malaskorfor the chapter nine reviews!

* * *

**Interlude**

Sam jumped as a bullet hit the wall she hid behind, glass-like shards of stone ricocheting off in every direction. She gave a glance to McKenzie, who was now holed-up inside the vanlor'i. She signalled for him to cover her, before she got up, running towards the pack she'd earlier abandoned.

Sam grabbed at the rucksack, before hauling it to the nearest shelter, where she promptly began searching for what she needed.

McKenzie had once again retreated to Vanlor'i, and was attempting to treat the injured.

One of the rebels hollered to the others, and Sam realised that they'd found the Vanlor'i.

It was now or never.

Finding the plastic-metal object she sought, she stood up and made a run for the Vanlor'i. The ground seemed alive as bullets and shrapnel rained down, but remarkably missed her. She looked up and saw that the rebels had now banded together, forming a single menacing swarm.

This was her one and only chance.

Instinct took over, as she removed the pin from the grenade. Her arm curled and she let go of the explosive before she ran at full tilt to escape the blast, diving into the Vanlor'i in the nick of time.

A massive explosion was heard, seen and felt, before a deathly silence encompassed the temple.

* * *

Daniel unplugged his ears as the explosion died away, then he returned to his previous task - cramming the biggest archaeological find in history into his backpack.

"Jackson…c'mon…lets go." Tyler whispered.

"In a minute."

"Your minute's up."

"Fine."

Daniel finished squeezing the device into the pack, before Tyler helped him get it on. Then the pair made a run for it, hoping the rebels would miss them.

* * *

Jack stood in front of his victim, whose life would soon end. The man was barely alive, writhing in agony from the bullet wound in his neck.

"Help…me…" He pleaded.

Jack O'Neill melted away, his military programming taking over once more, replacing the General with a ruthlessly efficient killing machine.

His prey hadn't been back in special ops for long but recognised the change in his CO.

"God…please." He said, recoiling in terror as death glared uncaringly down at him.

"No can do." He said stoically.

His victim saw the barrel of a 9mm being aimed at him. The trigger was squeezed slowly.

Then it was all over…

* * *

Well...

press the shiny button at the bottom, and I'll give you another chapter!


	11. Cloak and Dagger

**The Third Race**

**Chapter 11 - Cloak and Dagger**

Soz about the length between updates...I'm in the middle of my exams! Help!

Thanks to Kalystia, Misstweedledee, Lydia2, Maxennce, Kiilee, sclairef99 - pick away :D, genna12001, angelkat70, roseofthegate and florence!

* * *

Jack staggered away from the bodies, bile rising in his throat.

It had happened again.

The monster had surfaced, and had enjoyed the kill…The thrill of breaking another spirit…The power of seeing another grown man tremble with fear…The euphoric aphrodisiac that was murder in cold blood.

Jack wiped the tears forming in the corner of his brown eyes. His hands trembled with emotion.

He thought he'd gotten rid of the monster after his incarceration in Iraq. He thought he'd be able to carry out the orders without taking satisfaction from the kills.

He'd been wrong.

_I deserve to die_ he thought.

_Don't Jack…banish the thoughts…That's not you talking…that's the monster…that's what he wants you to do._

Still, Jack could not escape the self-loathing he was now feeling, and he silently wished for one of the rebels to take him out, so he wouldn't need to live with his actions.

Too busy analysing his dilemma, he failed to hear the footsteps behind him, and was caught unaware, as tow strong arms engulfed his torso and a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his throat…

* * *

"Daniel!" Sam shouted on seeing the archaeologist come into view. Tyler was not far behind, looked back towards the temple in case there were any rebels left. 

Sam doubted it.

"We got the device!" Daniel smiled.

"Good." Sam said. "Any signs of the General, Pete, Gavinbyrne or Warran?"

"None Carter." Tyler said, before he noticed the absence of Colonel Mason. "Where's the Colonel?"

"Colonel Mason is dead." The baritone of Teal'c spoke softly.

"Shit." Tyler muttered under his breath, before he heaved his pack off and crashed to the ground.

McKenzie left his charges and walked over to Tyler, clapping a hand around his back. McKenzie knew that Mason was a close friend of Tyler's, and it was obvious he was shocked and upset by the man's death.

"What are we gonna do if O'Neill and the others don't get back here soon?" one of the SO's asked, as he applied a gauze pad to a graze on his forehead.

"One thing I've learnt Captain, is that you never leave anyone behind…If they're not here in ten minutes…We're going in."

* * *

"Shit!" Jack called as he came tumbling downward. 

"You bastard!" an American accent called out, and Jack peered up to see who had attacked him.

"You rat bastard! They were on our side and you killed them!"

Jack shielded his face as his foe continued his onslaught. "Stop and listen to me!" Jack called, trying to get the man off of him.

"You…you killed him! He was friend and a comerade!"

"He sold us out! He sold us out to the enemy! I was ordered to do it!"

Pete recoiled, stopping his attack.

"That's not true…Joe was a friend of mine…He…he wouldn't…he…couldn't."

"Well he did."

"I don't believe you."

"He gave us false intel…because we had no direct way to prove that his claims were false, we had to traipse out here first. Sakaya's in Alexandria, Egypt. We were going to get him first, before coming to Irdan…But his intel contradicted the rest, so we decided to check it out."

Pete's eyes screwed up, unable to process what he was hearing. But Sam had told him about Jack O'Neill…he was no liar.

"I…I…" he left Gavinbyrne alone. "What about Warran?"

"The rebels were onto him…It was a mercy killing…A quick bullet through the head and it's all over…no pain…no terror…What the rebels had waiting for him was anything but nice."

Pete looked at the ground. Shocked.

"God…shit…I…I don't know what to say…What can I say…You murdered my friend and a civilian…but even I can see the justification behind it."

Jack wiped at his mouth, grimacing as he brushed his large fingers over his split lip. He drew his hand away, and wiped the blood onto his combats.

"All's fair in love and war."

* * *

"Right…Teal'c Daniel…You're with me…Kawalsky…hold this position until we come back-" 

"No need for that Carter." Sam heard a familiar voice. She turned round to see Jack and Pete walking towards the group. Her heart did a little flip flop, but to stop any bad feelings, she directed her smile towards the one who hadn't caused it.

"Pete!" She smiled, before turning to Jack. "Sir…Where's Gavinbyrne and Warran."

"They didn't make it." Pete said, knowing that Jack would have difficulty lying to Sam.

"What?" McKenzie said, "This has been a disaster."

"Where's Mason?" Jack asked.

"He's dead."

Jack sat down heavily, before his eyes reached Mason's prone form. He shook his head solemnly.

"We can't carry him back…we're gonna have to leave him and Gavinbyrne behind."

"Yes sir." Tyler said timidly.

"Let's pack up and move out."

* * *

Three hours later, The teams were booked into a small inn in Jhan city centre. Sam, Jack, McKenzie, Tyler and the now recuperated Teal'c sat in the bar, sharing a quiet drink. Daniel was studying the artefact and Pete was having a shower. 

"Sir." Sam said in a near whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Jack looked up to see if anyone else had heard her question. They hadn't.

"I've been better," he admitted, a sad smile flitting across his handsome face.

"Need to talk?"

"I'm better not talking…I'm not a nice person at the moment."

With that, Jack reached to the table adjacent to his seat, pulling out an Arabic TV magazine and beginning to read. His last comment puzzled Sam and she was hesitant to read further into it, so she let him be, returning to her previous thoughts.

* * *

Daniel heard a knock on his door. He pushed aside the cusswords that sprang to him mind as he stood up to walk to the door. He'd had little success in translating all of the texts on the pyramid's surface, and hadn't been able to concentrate after the revelation that Jack had murdered those businessmen. Putting those thoughts even further back than the obscenities his mind was calling, he opened the door, to see Pete Shanahan's stocky frame in the doorway. 

"Hey Dr. Jackson." He smiled wanly.

"Hi Pete…please call me Daniel."

"Right…Daniel."

"What can I help you with?" Daniel asked, hoping the little man would soon leave him to his work.

"Ehm…I forgot to pack a razor, so I was wondering-"

"Yes I do have one spare." Daniel said, grabbing his washbag, and retrieving one.

"Thanks…I can't stand not shaving."

"Same here…I'm like a werewolf if I don't shave for a day."

"It's actually the reason that I'm a reserve, and not a full SO."

Daniel found himself chuckling at that fact. "Well…we need more police officers than we do SO's, so that's a good thing!"

Pete also chuckled, but it was a nervous laugh. One that Daniel with his finely honed skills in body language picked up on.

"What else is up?" he asked Pete.

Pete glanced at him, before staring at the ground and pursing his lips. After a moment, he brought himself up to meet Daniel's gaze.

"There's something else going on here than us finding this artefact. O'Neill and Kawalsky are up to something…Now don't think I'm pointing a finger at Jack because of Sam, because I-"

"It's okay…I agree with you."

Pete stopped.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"What do you know?"

Daniel poked a head out into the dim cinnamon corridor. "Come in and I'll tell you."

* * *

Hee hee…I'm evil aren't I!!! 


	12. Phase Two

Hey there!

Sorry about the length between updates, but I had some exams last week, and when GateWorld went down, my forum (link'son my profile)took in an influx of GateWorld 'refugees'.

But now I'm back and I'll be updating as often as possible!

Thanks to sjshipshipper, pain in the mikta, kiwi4624, vampyr moon, roseofthegate, Su Freund, mishy and christinaS for the reviews!

And thankyou to anyone who nominated my story 'The General's Hell' for best series at the Sam and Jack Fanfiction awards!

* * *

**The Third Race**

**Chapter 12 - Phase Two**

Two days later, SG1, the Black Ops team and Pete arrived back at Cheyenne for a debriefing with General Hammond. Now, most of the team were seated around the ebony and rosewood briefing room table. Sam had purposely positioned herself at the other side and opposite end of the table from Pete, and felt an even greater sense of unease as Jack decided to try the seat next to.

"Relax Carter" He chided her as he spun around in his chair like a demented dentist with no teeth to destroy.

She couldn't help but smirk at his behaviour, but quickly reigned in her smile as she felt Pete's eyes on her. She looked to him, where he sat with the 'I'm-sad-but-I'm-trying-to-look-happy' look on his face.

Her heart sank. Having them both in close proximity was so much tougher than she could possibly have imagined.

She decided to leave those thoughts alone. They were for after the mission was over…But that was perilously close to the wedding.

Daniel arrived at the table, taking a seat next to Teal'c. He placed the coffee canister in the middle of the table, which Teal'c promptly drank.

"You're just lucky that coffee's a few minutes old or you would be in the infirmary right now" Daniel grumbled, grabbing the empty flask from the Jaffa.

General Hammond could be seen in Jack's office, talking animatedly on the phone. It seems that not all was well.

She noticed Jack giving Tyler an odd glance, which received two glares namely, from Daniel and Pete. She decided not to read into it.

A moment later, Hammond appeared at the door of Jack's office.

"Jack. Kawalsky…A word please."

Jack and Tyler stood up promptly…All business.

"Authorised my ass." She heard Daniel grumble under his breath, but Sam chose to ignore it.

"Well guys…" McKenzie started cheerily. "Where do you think we'll be going now"

"I have a hunch…" Stated Pete "…but I'm not tellin'"

"Why" Sam said suddenly and coldly.

This startled Pete, who began flustering for an explanation behind his cryptic comment.

"Well…If I'm right you'll be wondering why…that's all."

A clicking sound indicated that Jack, Tyler and Hammond were rejoining the briefing. As the three sat at the table, Sam noticed an odd distant look in Jack's eyes. He seemed more peaceful somehow.

"Right folks…Let's get this briefing started." Hammond said reclaiming his seat at the end of the table as Jack moved to the right…Next to Sam…again.

Hammond waited the few seconds for everyone to get his or her 'business hats' on, before he began.

"We've received Intel that Sakaya and a band of Irdanian militants are operating out of Alexandria, Egypt. He was spotted there just yesterday." Hammond coolly lied to the group. "That's where you're going next."

Sam looked round the group, as some of the SO's exchanged glances with each other, and Pete's stare rested solely on Jack.

"Due to the casualties sustained by Team B, only Team A will participate in this phase of the operation. General O'Neill will once again be in charge, with Colonel Carter serving as Second-in-command. The rest of the team will be working in your specialist areas. Teal'c. You will be working on capturing some of these rebels. Shanahan. You'll be information gathering. Dr. Jackson. You'll be looking for more clues as to the nature of the device you discovered."

Several crisp nods were the only responses.

"Jack…It seems fairly obvious that Sakaya is the enemy. He's been seen walking around freely with the rebels. Obviously whatever he's up to is of prime importance to us. We know it involves the Ancients and the Furlings somehow."

"I've always wanted to meet the Furlings" Jack smiled.

"Sounds cute and furry to me sir" Said McKenzie.

Hammond produced a large metal suitcase. "Individual mission plans have been prepared for you all to follow"

"Individual? Sir…aren't we better working together"

"This is Black Ops Carter." Jack stated.

Sam knew when she'd been told to shut up. She looked briefly at Pete to see how he'd reacted to Jack's comment. It obviously hadn't bothered him…He was gazing hungrily at the booklet in front of him.

"You may read these plans at your own discretion, but only yourself. Unless otherwise stated inside the booklet."

"Yes sir." Pete said, his eyes didn't leave the booklet.

Sam turned to Daniel who was also entranced by a booklet…Jack's.

"Okay folks…You have three hours to get your gear packed. Your plane leaves Petersen in five hours."

* * *

Well...a bit short...but whadaya think?

Suz


	13. Landmarks

Well…after a very very VERY long wait…it's on with the story!

Thanks to – stargate-fan, roseofthegate, ChristinaS – exams weren't too much of a disaster, Aligater – thank you, Leanne, French Chipmunk, Maxennce – wait and see, Seanait, zeilfanaat, SammiS9987,Oma-1 and SeedC!

* * *

Twelve hours later, SG1, Pete and Tyler stepped off of the runway at Alexandria's main commercial airport. Teal'c attempted to take in a breath of fresh air, but snorted as his nose was bombarded with sand particles.

"Easy fella." Jack said on seeing the look on Teal'c's face.

"I dislike sand…nothing more."

The group continued walking along with the rest of the disembarked passengers.

"What's the plan?" Tyler asked Jack.

"We do the civilian arrival…thing…" Jack tried to remember the last time he'd been on a commercial flight. "Because the Egyptian authorities want this to be as low key as possible…we're tourists."

"Right…so check in…get on the shuttle bus to the city centre…then what?"

"Then we split up for a little while…do some…'sightseeing'."

"Yes!" Daniel shouted, before calming down.

"Yes Daniel you can visit the library." Jack groaned.

"Thank you!"

"Personally I want to go and see the Mediterranean sea…haven't seen it since I spent a week on the French Riviera in '86."

"Well…the Library's right by the sea…so you two head off!"

"I require a glass of water. Teal'c stated."

* * *

Half an hour later, the team were outside the ministry of tourism office in the eastern harbour. Sam took a deep breath of sea air, letting it fill her lungs.

"This is gonna be a great mission." She sighed.

Jack smirked. "Daniel, Sam…you two have fun…we're off to find a bar…there's bound to be a tacky, themed pub around here somewhere…We'll keep in touch using Asgard communication stones…cover your use of them by bringing your cell phones up to your ear so people think you're just making a phonecall."

"Right sir…we'll do that."

"See you in a couple of hours!"

* * *

Five minutes later, Jack, Teal'c, Pete and Tyler sat in the 'The Vale Bar' sipping Tennants lager.

"I'm still trying to work out this bar's theme." Pete whispered to the rest of the group.

"Yae don't know the theme?" the Scottish bar tender shouted over.

Jack winced.

"Oor wee toon in Scotland is caud Alexandria, and that's wha' this city wis named efter. It's in a wee valley caud the Vale a Leven so we caud the pub the Vale!"

The bar tender walked away smiling and waving to a leggy Egyptian woman who'd walked in.

"Awright doll!" he shouted.

"Oy." Jack groaned.

"Could I have that in English please." Pete once again whispered. "I don't know Scots."

"That wasn't even Scots…That was…bad use of both English and Scots...The story is…There's a small Scottish Town situated in The Vale of Leven, called Alexandria…which is named after Alexandria, Egypt. The Vale of Leven is in Scotland's 'Central Belt'."

"How d'you know that?" Tyler asked, amazed at Jack's knowledge on the subject of such a tiny town.

"I was stationed at the Holy Loch in Scotland for two years as an officer exchange…it's fifteen miles from Alexandria…Scotland."

"Right."

"What is our plan O'Neill?" Teal'c said, cutting through the chatter.

"Uhm…well…Daniel surprisingly hasn't been here before, and we haven't had a break since before we started phase one of the op…so this is a day of downtime…we'll start properly tomorrow."

"So where are we all staying tonight?" Pete asked.

"There's a small hotel about half a mile from the Chatby Casino…we'll stay there for the duration of our…stay."

"Sounds good." Tyler commented.

"Yeah…I've stayed there before…it's a good little hotel."

"So what are we gonna do just now?"

"I dunno…I fancy getting to another pub," Jack leaned over and whispered, "one where the owner has an IQ."

Tyler chuckled at that comment. "I'd love to do an Egyptian-themed pub crawl actually!"

"I've always fancied going to visit the catacombs here." Pete said.

"As would I." Stated Teal'c.

"Well why don't you go sight-seeing then?" Jack smiled to Teal'c and Pete. "T knows Egyptian…at least…ancient Egyptian…you'll be fine!"

* * *

"Daniel! C'mon…We told General O'Neill we were going to visit the library…not go round every archaeological point of interest in the city!"

"I know…but I've always wanted to visit Alexandria's Cisterns!"

"But…I want to spend time by the ocean, not…wandering around old sewers!"

"Please Sam…I've always wanted to visit them!"

"Of course you have…You've seen things most people can't imagine, yet old stinky sewers still fascinate you."

"It's the workmanship I admire how ancient people could build such feats of engineering…c'mon."

Daniel walked off into the complex.

"Daniel…I…"

Sam huffed, before following him in.

* * *

"This place is amazing." Daniel said in awe as he and Sam stood inside one of Alexandria's ancient water cisterns.

"Yeah…whatever Daniel…I'm actually beginning to get a little bit cagey."

"C'mon Sam…we work underground…this is no different."

"I know that but…I've just got a really bad feeling…can we go soon?"

"Another fifteen minutes?" Daniel said wistfully, holding up a tourist map of the cisterns. "There's another place I'd like to go to."

Sam groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine…fifteen minutes…I'm counting."

"Thank you!" and with that, Daniel ventured further into the complex.

* * *

"Where are we going Pete Shanahan?" Teal'c asked the cop as they wandered through the city centre.

"Someplace I've always wanted to visit."

"Where?" Teal'c asked as Pete whistled to a passing cart.

"The catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa." Pete said as he climbed onto one of the horse-drawn carts that served as the city's taxi service.

The driver noticed his passengers were English-speaking, so he tested his English.

"Where you go?"

"Kom el Shoqafa."

"Ah! Spooky!"

* * *

Sam stood, hugging her arms close to her body as they stood inside yet another cistern. There was a faint dripping sound of water.

"You'd think they'd stop the leaks once they turned this into a tourist attraction!" She joked, but Daniel wasn't listening.

"Daniel?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"I…uh…I've found something…something big."

"What do you mean…something big?"

"Big as in big and…Ancient."

"You're kidding me!" Sam said, walking briskly to where Daniel was crouched.

"Look at this." He said as she knelt down. "This is in Ancient…a modern dialect."

"But…these cisterns aren't even a thousand years old…they're hardly even classed as ancient ruins…and there's much older ruins in the city."

"I know."

"Can you translate it?"

"Translate it? It's so close to Latin, I can read it straight off!"

"What does it say?" Sam asked, crouching down on her knees to get a closer look at the tile.

"If you seek the knowledge of our Furling brethren, seek the place where the source of the living carries the souls of the dead to the land where knowledge flows free."

"Huh? Is it a riddle?"

"Not exactly…You just need to read between the lines."

Daniel pulled the communication stone out of his combat bottoms.

"Jack…this is Daniel…come in."

"Yup Daniel…what is it."

"Sam and I are in the Alexandria Cisterns and-"

"I thought you two were going to the library."

"We did, but I wanted to see this place."

Sam grabbed the stone off of the now-giddy archaeologist. "We've found some text in one of the cisterns and it's written in Ancient…a very new dialogue."

"What does it say?"

"It's kinda like a riddle."

"Ehm…never mind…we'll be at the entrance to the Cisterns if we can flag down a cart."

* * *

"This place is most sinister Pete Shanahan." Teal'c said, sniffing the air.

"It's a catacomb…they're meant to be creepy."

"What is the function of this…catacomb?"

"It was built for a wealthy family living here in Alexandria…it was built to store their dead…sort of like a cemetery plot but much bigger."

"I see."

"Now…part of it isn't open to the public, but I wanna have a look anyway."

"Is that wise?"

"Anything goes wrong and we get lost…we call General O'Neill and problem solved!"

* * *

"If you seek the knowledge of our Furling brethren, seek the place where the source of the living carries the souls of the dead to the land where knowledge flows free."

"Yeah…that's kinda cryptic." Jack sighed.

"Not really…source of the living is probably water, and we're standing in a water cistern…some old sewers still exist that carried water to sea, cutting past the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa."

"But what about the land where knowledge flows free?"

"That's the tricky bit, but it was once thought that Atlantis was deep under the waters of the mediterranean…if we find a sewer that runs from here to Kom el Shoqafa and then northwards to the sea…and we'll find what we're looking for!"

"May I just ask…" Tyler interjected, "What does any of this have to do with Sakaya?"

"Well…the artefact we found in Qar was related to this…It was said that if we could find all four artefacts, we'd unlock the mystery of what happened to the Furlings…It's clear that this is what Sakaya's Irdanian interest was…Now although the Asgard live in another Galaxy, and their links to Earth are in Northern Europe…there is a chance that the Asgard artefact could have been kept here in Alexandria, a place that was already a reasonably well-advanced civilisation a few thousand years ago. If that's right, then that's why Sakaya's in Egypt."

"Otherwise, it might not be another artefact, but maybe something like I dunno…something to help us find the other artefacts!" Jack said.

"…No…I don't think so."

Jack smile turned into a frown.

"…Oh."

"So…are there any maps of the remaining sewers?"

"…No."

"Sweet."

"Will we contact Pete and Teal'c?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah." Jack picked up his stone. "Shanahan…come in…This is O'Neill…"

The team listened and heard nothing.

"Teal'c…this is O'Neill…come in…"

Nothing.

"Shit."

Sam took her radio out of her pocket.

"Neither of them had radios with them Carter."

"…oh."

"They said they were going to the Catacombs." Tyler reminded everyone.

"I might have guessed." Sam muttered.

"Colonel?"

"Oh he has this fascination about the dead…don't ask."

"I'm asking." Jack said innocently.

"I don't know…He's fascinated by things like that…He saved up his pay for two years to afford a trip to Cheops at Giza…It's just one of his interests."

"Right…well…we can get a lock on their stones…We'll continue on as we were going to…if we need them urgently, Prometheus is in orbit we'll 'beam' them out."

Jack looked around the team, and was met by three nods. "Okay? Lets find a sewer!"

Daniel walked off further into the cisterns. Sam and Jack followed behind, lighting up the massive stone 'bells' with their torches. Tyler brought out the rear.

"Oof!" SG1 heard a bang and turned round.

* * *

"Should we not contact O'Neill?"

"Nah…we'll find our way out eventually." Pete smiled, lost in though as he and the Jaffa tried to find their way out of the catacombs.

"I'm gonna complain about this when we get back." He said.

"Complain about what?"

"Complain about the batteries goin' flat when we needed them." Pete huffed. "That's the only reason we're lost you know."

"Of course…I do not doubt your methods Pete Shanahan."

"Was that sarcasm I heard?"

"Indeed."

"Good…I like that!"

The pair continued feeling their way through the narrow passageway until Teal'c stopped.

"What?"

"Sh."

The pair listened intently, and then they heard the murmering of voices.

"Chems'i lonat fogol manvrat!" a man shouted.

"Kendle tramat Taffna."

"Ching'e tell tengna!"

"Tekstl'i O'Neill mor Shanahan…chontil Taffna."

Pete turned to Teal'c.

"We've found him."


	14. Leap of Faith

Well...after a slightly shorter wait...here's a double whammy!

Thanks to : jaka (sorry I never got back to you, but the answer is in the first chapters of the story...question two you'll have wair and see!), Seanait, zeilfanaat, Su Freund, Sway13, LanaJoy and Roseofthegate.

Note: Following chapters may cause your brain to explode...this is by far the most sophisticated plot I've had!

* * *

"Crap!" Tyler shouted.

Jack turned round to see Tyler sprawled out on the floor.

"You okay?"

"I tripped on one of these slabs…Oh no."

"Kawalsky?" Sam said, stepping forward.

"My ankle's swelling up."

"Great." Jack grinned sarcastically.

"I think you were right about SG Bonzo Sam." Daniel smirked.

"Oh ha ha…How far are we from the hotel?"

"Ehm…I uh…five miles."

"Joy!"

Tyler slowly pulled himself to his feet, with Sam supporting him.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah…Not got much I can do about this anyway."

"Wow…" Daniel suddenly said.

"Danny boy?"

"Look what's under the slab." He grinned.

"Su-weet!" Jack smiled, for underneath the dislodged slab, was an entrance right into the sewer network.

* * *

"What shall we do Pete Shanahan?" Teal'c asked.

"I dunno…This was completely unexpected…and we _are_ still lost."

"So you are admitting we are lost." The Jaffa stated.

"…Uh well…um…yeah."

"We should contact General O'Neill immediately."

"I agree." Pete said, "The Asgard stones the General gave to each of us will help Prometheus or Daedalus find us."

Pete pulled his stone out of his pack, waving his thumb over the top left of the stone's surface.

"General O'Neill…come in…this is Shanahan…we have located Sakaya…come in."

"You'll find that stone will be of no use to you here Commander." A hollow, emotionless voice called from behind.

Pete whirled round to find himself face to face with Sakaya - and a half dozen Irdanian rebels…

* * *

"God this place stinks." Sam said, holding her nose as they made their way along one of the sewers. "How's GPS holding up Tyler?"

"No problems…we still know where we are…that's the main thing."

Sam, Jack, Tyler and Daniel had been walking through the ancient Alexandrian sewer network for about half an hour, and were now more than two miles from the cistern.

"We should be there soon Jack." Tyler said. "The Kom el Shoqafa complex is vast…not that it'll say that in any tourist brochures…only a small portion is open to the public and there are no maps for the closed sections, but guess who's been there before?"

"Let me guess…you?"

"Yes sir!"

Five minutes passed, and Sam noticed a change in the sewer, as it opened up. The walls were no longer decaying stone slabs, but smooth walls made of hard, compacted earth.

"I think this is it." Daniel said.

"Yup…I don't recognise this bit."

"Well you did say it was vast." Jack jibed.

Daniel looked on ahead, shining a small laser light on ahead. "Well…it looks like this opens up into another cistern…There should be a route heading northwards once we get there…Look out for more clues, so turn up your torches to full illumination."

Jack gave a slow nod, before pulling out his cell phone. "I got this cool torch thing from a ringtone club!"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Look at this." He said, and suddenly, the entire sewer was bathed in a white light.

Jack took the lead, walking on waving his phone around madly. "Yup…we're in another cistern."

"I don't think anyone knows this is here…Looks like the Ancients wanted to keep this place a secret." Daniel said.

Sam stepped forward, behind Jack. "Well…both the cisterns and the catacombs are much younger than any trace of the Ancients…I mean…Atlantis is millions of years old…Apes hadn't even fully evolved when the Ancients left here. If the Ancients had any reason to come back here, it was probably another group, separate from the Anquietas and the 'Lanteans, who wanted to keep their presence a secret."

"Maybe they were the only group left after the plague." Daniel surmised. "We know from the carbon datings done at Terra Atlantus, that that outpost is ten million years old…It's possible that some of the Ancients left prior to the plague."

Tyler shook his head and screwed up his eyes. "Uhm…I'm a little behind with my Ancients History."

Sam smiled, before launching into an explanation.

"The Ancients were virtually wiped out by a plague, ten millions years ago. We know that some of them escaped by taking Atlantis to the Pegasus Galaxy around that time. As far as we know, the only Ancients left here or in the Pegasus Galaxy are Ascendeds. But…for all we know, some of the Ancients could have left Earth before that. Either that or these slabs and artefacts were left by another of the great races and were a method of concealing their identity."

"Why couldn't the Ascendeds leave the slabs or the artefacts?"

"This stuff's below them." Jack interjected.

"The Ascendeds have a non-interference policy." Sam elaborated.

Daniel stepped forward, waving a frantic finger. "But…that could be wavered by the Great Alliance…The Asgard have never mentioned a dissolution of the Alliance, so maybe the Ascendeds are still able to interfere in matters concerning the Asgard, the Nox and the Furlings."

"So basically…we still don't know who left all of this…stuff." Tyler sighed, scratching his head.

"My money's on the Asgard." Jack grinned. "They love coming home…since I became friends with Thor, he stops by as often as possible."

Daniel wandered further into the cistern focussing his torch light on the ground. The chatter continued behind him.

"So the Asgard are from Earth?"

"Yes…They're from Earth, or Midgard as they call it."

Daniel noticed something on the floor in the centre of the cistern.

"Guys…I've found more Ancient."

"What does it say?" Jack shouted, walking to where Daniel was stooped.

"The land where knowledge flows free is very far from here, but take a leap of faith and you will find yourself near. The souls of the dead are most precious of all. Their legacy must live on and never fall."

"Cryptic."

"I think this is just a notice to tell us that we're on the right path…We should still refer to the first riddle."

"What was that anyway?" Jack asked.

"If you seek the knowledge of our Furling brethren, seek the place where the source of the living carries the souls of the dead to the land where knowledge flows free."

"My head hurts."

"So…we're still heading north?" Tyler asked.

"Yes."

Daniel looked at Tyler's GPS locator readout, before heading off to the left. As with the other cisterns, this one was linked to the surrounding complex by four passages, veering off in four directions corresponding to a compass.

"Here we go." He said, heading into the northern passage. The rest of the team followed.

* * *

Pete came to in a darkened room. He blinked in an effort to see, but could not.

"Teal'c!" He called out.

"I am here Pete Shanahan."

"What happened?"

"We were captured by Sakaya's men."

"Why is it so dark?"

"They detonated a Goa'uld shock grenade next to us…Your sight will return soon Pete Shanahan."

"Great…Can you see?"

"I was also rendered blind by the grenade."

Pete attempted to stand, and after a few attempts, was reasonably sure he was upright. He began feeling around gingerly, looking for a means to escape. The walls were dry, dusty, with small fragments of rock crumbling off. Pete was more careful, and this time, he felt glyphs. But what were they? He continued his search, and felt his hand come into contact with a cold, metal grate. A mili-second later, he was hit by a shock of electricity.

"Aah!" He shrieked as he was flung back.

"Pete Shanahan…are you alright?"

"Shit…ah!"

"Are you injured?"

"No…I got a shock from the metal grate…They've electrified it."

Pete blinked once again, and this time, he could make out a fuzzy shape. "I think my sight's coming back."

"As is my own."

Less than a minute later, Pete could get a clear view of the small cell he and Teal'c were locked in. The glyphs on the wall were hieroglyphs. They weren't in Kom el Shoqafa anymore. Hieroglyphs easily predated the catacombs.

"You recognise any of this T?" Pete asked.

"Indeed…We are in a tomb…One belonging to a Pharaoh. Gaia."

"Gaia? She was a goddess…Worshipped by the ancient Greeks."

"That was not so. Gaia was the first Goa'uld to take a human host after they travelled from their home planet. She was the mother of Cronus and Zeus. But Gaia was not evil. She was the last Goa'uld Queen that never used a Sarcophagus. She was a mainly benevolent creature, only harsh with her family. But it was one of her many sons, Zeus that invented the Sarcophagus, during a battle against her, which he won. He fashioned the sarcophagus, so that he and his followers would not have to find new hosts when their existing hosts died. That is what gave them the edge. But this sign of weakness, of the possibility of death was never shared with the ancient peoples of this world and never made it into any of the myths of that time. Gaia lived on after the battle, but by that time, her sons and daughters has grown evil. Her resting place was never known."

"Wow…That's extraordinary."

"Gaia apparently helped the people of this planet become civilised."

"You mean…the creation myth, _Theogony_, was not about the physical creation of earth, but about the metaphoric creation of civilisation?"

"Yes…You appear well versed in this subject Pete Shanahan."

"I love ancient history."

"Well…this must be a fun mission for you then Commander."

Pete jumped slightly, startled, as Sakaya appeared at the other side of the grate.

"Relax Commander…I will not hurt you if you co-operate…Ancient History is also an interest of mine, and, according to what I now know…you are a big part of that history."

"What?"

"Mr Teal'c's explanation of Gaia was far from right. She was no Goa'uld. She was a host, and not a human one."

A few of the Irdanian rebels appeared beside Sakaya, and Pete gasped in shock. Their eyes no longer appeared human, but glowed a vivid blue; their pupils had become tiny slits and their eyes were frighteningly unnaturally open. From their hairline, several bony spines shot out, glistening like a steel crest.

"What the?"

"I was on a business trip to Alexandria to tie up loose ends and to do some sight-seeing before heading to Atlantis, when I found the Ancients tablet, imbedded in a cistern slab. I followed the riddle to the letter, and found a lost repository. It contained, may I say, some interesting information in the form of a prophecy. At the same time, my Jhanian contact, one Warran, told me that the Irdanian rebels had found an artefact of alien origin, at the temple of Qar. I realised the connection, and got in touch with the leader of the militia. I deciphered the text and realised a renewed significance in my find. That, was when I found out something a _lot_ more interesting to play with than the Ancients Gene, so I did a deal with the Irdanian authorities…I gave them my knowledge of the Ancients Gene in exchange for an Irdanian passport. At the same time, I made a deal with the rebels for them to protect me in exchange for some genetic manipulations…As you can see…they now bear the fruits of my research!"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Pete blinked.

"My head hurts."

* * *

"Well…it's safe to assume we're lost." Jack groaned.

"Maybe the fact that this tunnel turned into our very own personal labyrinth was a good hint to quit." Tyler said dryly.

"I think we should keep going." Daniel said, powering onward.

"For cryin out loud Daniel…we have to turn back!"

Silence.

"Daniel?"

Jack shone his phone down the passageway. It was empty.

"Danny, Danny Danny."

* * *

Daniel turned to look back along the passageway. "What the…Jack…Sam…Tyler?"

He was alone…

* * *

Well...on to chapter 15!

Oh! I have a new webby stargateinteldotbravehostdotcom - check it out!


	15. Origins

And here's chapter 15...which is truely hazardous to your brain...I had a helluva headache when I finished this!

* * *

Chapter 15 

"Well…looks like Sakaya's found out something big by the looks of those militants."

"Indeed."

Pete leant back on the dusty cell wall. "What do you think he meant by me being a big part of history?"

"I am uncertain. It is a mystery."

"What do you think he meant by Gaia not being human?"

"I'm unsure…Gaia was described as a beautiful Goddess…Goa'uld have only been known to take control of humans or primitive humanoids known as Unas. If Gaia was to be beautiful, she would have to have been human."

"I dunno…a lot more's going on here than I think anyone can comprehend…and where do these…Furlings…fit in."

"That is also a mystery."

"No kidding."

"Indeed."

* * *

"Jack? Sam! Tyler!" Daniel called out. "Where are you!" 

He stopped to listen.

Nothing.

"Where am I?" He whispered to himself.

* * *

"I don't think we should go any further." Tyler said, his voice shaking. "I've never, in all my Black Op days, seen _anything_ as weird as that!" 

"We're not leaving Daniel behind." Sam said resolutely.

"Well…he's not here…and I ain't going through that!"

"Well that's not how SG1 do things…we've been through more than you know…we're going to look for him, then make a decision."

"A leap of faith." Jack said quietly.

"Sir?"

"It was in the second riddle… The land where knowledge flows free is very far from here, but take a leap of faith and you will find yourself near…Didn't Dr Weir say that Atlantis had secret transporters, easily mistaken for storage rooms?" Jack asked.

"Yes…when we finally made contact with them, she said there were short range transporters all over Atlantis."

"But this isn't Atlantis." Tyler pointed out.

"I don't care…it's good enough for me!" Jack said, and with that, he strode forwards, Sam followed, before a hesitant Tyler shuffled onwards.

"One small step for a Kawalsky…one giant leap for California."

* * *

"Jack…c'mon…guys!" Daniel continued shouting at the top of his voice. He was beginning to panic. 

"Did Sam tell you about the time I-" Pete's chatter was stopped as Teal'c put a hand in the air, indicating for him to be quiet.

A small echo was heard.

"…c'mon guys!"

"Who is that?"

"I believe it is Daniel Jackson."

"Phew!"

"We cannot lead him to our location or we will alert Sakaya."

"With the noise he just made…it's a safe bet that Sakaya's gonna find him soon."

* * *

"Daniel?" Jack said as he crossed the threshold. 

"Jack! Thank god! I thought I was lost."

"Well we are now…That was a transporter of sorts." Sam said.

"You are correct."

Jack pulled his 9mm out and spun around to see Sakaya and some of the rebels.

"Hello Yoda. Jack O'Neill I am." Jack smirked.

"That is far from amusing General. Taknil com seeti tell nana." Sakaya instructed his protectors.

"No no…I like this 9mm…it's got my name on it!"

The guards relinquished the gun from Jack's control and Sakaya inspected it.

"It does not…Do not lie to me again."

Jack glared at the geneticist. "Like hell I won't."

Sakaya ignored the pointed comment. "If you'd like to follow me…No-one will get hurt…at least…not intentionally."

* * *

"You hear footsteps?" Pete asked. 

"Indeed."

A moment later, Sakaya rounded the corner, flanked by non-manipulated rebels. Pete breathed a momentary sigh of relief, as the rest of the team came into view. His spirits soon sank, as he now realised that there was little chance of escape, and no chance of rescue.

"Hey guys!" Jack said in surprise. "How'dyou get here?"

"We became lost while exploring Kom el Shoqafa." Teal'c informed him.

The rebels turned off the electricity and unlocked the grate, kicking Jack, Sam, Daniel and Tyler into the cell.

"Thank you! Will we get room service?" Jack smiled at the rebels.

"Techna el Angles."

"Yeah…I gathered as much."

The guards and Sakaya left.

"What did he say?" Tyler asked.

"They don't speak English." Daniel sighed.

"You picked up Irdanian quite quickly." Jack remarked.

"Yeah…It's quite simple…but unique."

"So…what do we do now?" Sam said, sitting next to Pete.

"Where are we?" Pete asked.

"Not a clue."

"We are in the Tomb of Gaia."

"What?" Daniel coughed in misbelief.

Pete sighed, before abbrieviating their earlier conversation. "Gaia was host to a Goa'uld queen. She wasn't human. Her Goa'uld was benevolent to the people of earth, but was harsh with her sons and daughters. Her son, Zeus invented the Sarcophagus during a war with her, which eventually made the Goa'uld evil."

"Wow."

"Sure!" Jack said, at a loss to what the significance of this was.

"So what link is this Gaia to Sakaya and the riddles?"

"Don't know…I don't even think there _is_ a link…but Sakaya mentioned that he found a repository of information that contained a prophecy."

"If he stuck his head in it…he'll be pushing up daisies soon." Jack said.

Pete screwed up his face at that comment. "Oookaay…He's been genetically altering these Irdanians…hell they look like something from a Manga cartoon."

Sam groaned. "The dead, Manga, lunatic fringe…and let's not forget…Lunatic Fringe!"

"Are you alright Colonel Carter?"

"Peachy!" She grinned with crazy eyes.

"Anyway…" Daniel began, focussing attention away from Sam (who was clearly in a midlife crisis of sorts) "Our mystery is one of gigantic proportions now…The various elements we have are: Sakaya, The Furlings, Irdanian Rebels, Ancient writings that are ten million years too young, Lantean transporters, 2 million light years from Atlantis, repositories and Gaia…an alien host to a Goa'uld, that lived here on earth."

"My head hurts." Jack and Pete chorus.

"Lunatics." Sam muttered.

Pete ignored his irate girlfriend. "Sakaya also made a cryptic comment about me being a part of history."

"Huh?"

Footsteps were once again heard, and Sakaya appeared in front of the grate, flanked by the altered rebels.

"Yes…It is all very complex." He smiled wryly.

"Well…we're listening." Jack said.

Sakaya began. "Eleven thousand years ago, Gaia came here as an ambassador for a race known as the Furlings. She was here as a guest of honour at a summit intended to reform the Great Alliance. A new race was invited, the Unas, but it was unknown to them that this Unas was symbiotic with another creature, a Goa'uld. This Unas would become known as The First One. Unas brought a Goa'uld queen with him, in the hopes that someone would offer to be her host. Gaia was willing and was implanted with a queen Goa'uld. Gradually, the alliance lost it's grip on galactic affairs and the Goa'uld became a well-known race, using Unas as hosts. The Goa'uld, were far more peaceful, but still saw themselves as superior to the primitive humans of Earth. They proclaimed themselves gods and rulers of earth, and the indigenous peoples looked up to them. But they were good rulers, benevolent for the most part. Gaia and her symbiote, Egeria had by this point had assumed the role of queen, and taken a place as a leader of their people."

"Oh my god…" Sam trailed off, lost in her own thoughts, as she realised the significance of who Gaia was.

"Gaia and Egeria seemed quite happy with this arrangement, and spawned symbiotes that knew all the knowledge of the Goa'uld and Gaia. But when her children were old enough to take hosts, Egeria tried to set a revolution in motion, telling the humans that the Goa'uld were not gods, but aliens. But Unas and their children were resourceful and won out, through the creation of the sarcophagus. Gaia refused to let herself use a sarcophagus, and as the Goa'uld turned from rather arrogant benefactors to tyrannical, power-hungry dictators, fighting amongst themselves, Gaia began witholding the Goa-uld memory from her prim'tah, giving them all of her own knowledge instead. One of the Goa'uld by this point had become all-powerful and dominated Galaxy, becoming head of the new Goa'uld order, the System Lords. Egeria's prim'tahs became the rebel movement against Ra, taking the name Tok'ra. Ra took revenge on the Tok'ra, by wiping out the peaceful and trusting Furlings."

"Holy Hannah." Jack gasped.

"Egeria spawned as many symbiotes as possible, before choosing a human mate. Together they had a Harcesis, and he was the first of many, as the Tok'ra began pairing off, giving birth to thousands of Harcesis, with the purpose of keeping the legacy of the Furlings alive. She then instructed the Tok'ra to 'forget' the Furling knowledge, and the few symbiotes she spawned after that, had only partial knowledge of the Goa'uld and the Furlings. A short time after that, when Gaia's health began to falter, Egeria took a new host and left earth. She was not heard of again. Thousands of years later, the descendants of Gaia's Harcesis's can be recognised by a slight variation in their DNA."

"Like an Ancient gene!" Daniel shouted.

"Yes…that's why I let your team get this far…I had a contact…Joseph Gavinbyrne, he managed to acquire the DNA profiles of both 'Red Star' teams. And I discovered the one-in-a-ten-million-chance gene within one of you."

"What?"

"Are you saying that one of us is a _Furling_?" Jack said.

"Precisely that."

Sam tried to work out who it was. "Well…It can't be Jack or Teal'c…but it could be any one of the rest of us."

Pete stared at the ground, as the truth hit him.

"It's me…isn't it."

* * *

Well...bit of a plot twist...don't worry...it's a good one for shippers! 

Please R&R!


	16. Revisions

Well...I know some of you weren't too happy with that twist...but it's gonna have it's payback and a cruel (but amusing twist) for Pete :)

BTW - It's another double whammy!

Thanks to zeilfanaat, SeedC, LanaJoy, stargate-fan and roseofthegate!

* * *

Chapter 16

The atmosphere in the cell was chilling. Hostile. Too many undercurrents to count. Sam sat looking at the two men who shared the small room with her. Pete's gaze was unreadable, still lost in thoughts about his alien heritage. Jack on the other hand was scowling at the floor. Sam could literally see his brain working.

The team had been split into two cells - Daniel, Teal'c and Tyler in one, Sam, Jack and Pete in the other. Now she sat between the two men, feeling more uncomfortable than she had in any Goa'uld battle. The cell was dry and hot and the desert dust caught in the back of her throat. There was little chance of doing anything constructive, so Sam followed Jack and Pete's lead, heading off into her own private world in her mind. She craned her neck back until her head rested against the crumbling wall of the room. Immediately her concentration was broken by distant sounds and her thoughts punctuated by the increasingly loud sound of footsteps. She sighed, looking up.

"Asleep were we Colonel?" Sakaya said smugly from the other side of the grate.

"Nope…just picturing what the nations of the Atlantis treaty are going to do when they find you…Treason carries a massive punishment…whether it's life or execution…hmm…Don't know which would be worse personally."

Sam looked at Jack out of the corner of her eye, and noticed that although his pace was poker straight, his eyes were shining with contained laughter.

"Very funny Colonel…never knew you had a sense of humour."

"She does…it's just too clever for people like you." Pete said.

"Do you want to live through this or not?" Sakaya threatened.

"If you mean living in a squalid ancient tomb with no beer or Simpsons…then no…death would suit me fine!" Jack quipped.

Sakaya's shoulders tensed up for a moment, as he let a wave of exhasperation wash over him.

"Where are we?" Sam asked.

"We're a mile north of the Valley of the Kings, in an area yet to be excavated by archaeologists…I found it by travelling through the Kom el Shoqafa portal like yourselves."

"Why did you set yourself up here? Why not in Irdan since you're a legal citizen there now?" Pete asked.

"Qar didn't contain the knowledge I needed…it merely put the Furling repository into a proper context…that's all."

Sam, Jack and Pete were quiet, before Jack asked another question.

"Why did you separate us from the other half of our team?"

"I was merely separating the wheat from the chaff."

Sam felt a panic rise in her chest. Were Daniel, Teal'c and Tyler okay? What had he done with them?

"Relax Colonel…your companions are not injured or in any…immediate danger…as long as the three of you co-operate."

"What do you mean by wheat from the chaff?" Sam asked.

"Dr Jackson and Major Kawalsky are human. Teal'c is Jaffa. You, Colonel, are a former Tok'ra host. General O'Neill…you are the closest thing to a living Ancient and Commander Shanahan…Your mind contains the lost genetic knowledge of the Furlings…and that is what I seek."

"Well you're not going to get it then are you…cos I don't know a thing!" Pete grinned smugly.

"That's where the prophecy comes in…so if you and General O'Neill would like to follow me."

As if on cue, several guards appeared and opened the grate.

"I'll only go if you give me your word that my team won't be hurt or abused in any way." Jack warned.

"I can't give my word, but understand this…if you do not co-operate…all I can say is that it'd be a shame for your team to face the consequences of your actions."

Jack didn't need a further incentive, and followed Pete out of the cell.

* * *

"What is Sakaya up to?" Daniel said to no-one in particular.

"I don' have a clue…But I'm worried about Jack, Sam and Pete…god knows what he's got planned for them."

"Why are you so certain that it is not us Sakaya is interested in?" Teal'c proferred.

Daniel shifted restlessly on his feet. "Well…Sam's a former Tok'ra, and Jack and Pete are as close to Ancients and Furlings as you could get…Sakaya's a geneticist, so it makes sense."

"How does that bode for us?"

"I haven't a clue."

* * *

Jack felt several pairs of glowing eyes on him, as he, Pete and the guards traversed a long passageway within the tomb.

"Valley of the Kings…it was on my holiday list." Jack commented.

"I've been here before." Pete said in response.

"Quiet." Sakaya ordered them.

"Okay Yoda…Hey Yoda…how did you make these guys' eyes glow?"

"I obtained a sample of Commander Shanahan's DNA from his police department. I have a friend in Denver who works for the ATF…He was more than happy to co-operate."

"Oh."

"What are you planning to do with us?" Pete questioned.

"You'll see."

* * *

Sam felt sick to her stomach as she sat in the cell.

What was going to happen to Jack and Pete? What did Sakaya want?

Inevitably, her thoughts turned from the mission to her personal life.

What did she want? Pete or Jack? A relationship or solitude?

She loved Pete, but it wasn't…true love. It was the type of love you found in friendship.

Jack on the other hand…She respected him as a CO and friend. She admired him as an officer and an honourable man. She loved and care for him as a friend. But she was also _in_ love with him.

"There…you've admitted it to yourself…now all you have to do is admit it to both of them." Sam told herself.

How could she do that to Pete though? He loved her. He'd told her that he wanted to spend his life with her. But there was a sticking point that had been nagging her mind for quite sometime.

He hated kids.

And children were on Samantha Carter's adgenda.

"Colonel Carter." A voice broke through her dilemma. She looked up to see one of the rebels.

"Tenvee al torna." He said, indicating down a passageway, and with that, he turned off the grate and opened it for her.

Sam hesitantly rose to her feet and left the cell. The rebel immediately pointed his weapon at her and pushed her forwards.

"Okay okay! I'm going!"

* * *

"Ah!" Pete gasped as a needle broke the skin of his neck.

"Your melodrama will not make me treat you any better Commander." Sakaya said, replacing the needle on a small table.

"What was in that?" Jack demanded from his seat on the opposite side of the room.

"A little something to make the Commander remember his roots. It will seek out the minute quantities of Furling DNA he has and bring them to the fore."

"You mean I'm gonna look like one of your freaks!" Pete shrieked, bucking against his restraints.

"I'm sure the Furling traits will suit you better than the rebels…after all…their furling genes were grafted on top of their Human and Ancient genes."

"Well that's gotta be confusing." Jack said before adding, "If you've got lotsa semi-Ancients floating around here…what do you need me for?"

"Your Ancient genes are already awake due to the Ancients' repositories you have been exposed to…You are far more valuable because of that."

"I still don't get it!" Jack said, screwing up his face in mock confusion.

At that moment, Jack noticed that Pete was no longer moving. His head was lolled back and his eyes were shut.

"Pete? Pete!" Jack called.

"It's alright…The Commander will come to shortly…now it's time for your shots." Sakaya's eyes gleamed.

"You have a strange way of getting your kicks you know that." Jack growled at the scientist.

Sakaya only grinned as he produced another needle.

"Oh crap." Sakaya got closer. "Watch where you stick that thing Yoda…I'm none too fond of needles."

Jack winced as the needle pierced the skin of his neck.

"Okay…_that_ hurt! That's right where that damned snake went in years back…I gotta little problem in that area, but they say tempus is a great heal-" Jack stopped mid-sentence.

Sakaya let out a little chuckle. "Ah…you'll be feeling a bit more ancient soon…Don't worry if you get any 'fron-ache'…it'll soon pass."

* * *

and on the chapter 17! 


	17. The Ugly Truth

And on with the show! And there's an ugly twist here, so watch out.

* * *

Chapter 17

Sam watched the eyes of the rebels lining the corridors. There was an even mix between those that were human and those that had been altered. It was frightening.

Was this what Sakaya had planned for her.

The guard in front of her came to an abrupt halt and directed her into a large chamber. Sam edged her way in, but once again she was forced to go faster. The room was in darkness, apart from in one corner where a small man stood.

"Welcome Colonel Carter!" he said cheerily. Sam immediately recognised him.

"Coombs?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"What the HELL are you doing here?" She said sternly, before she felt the butt of a weapon being pressed into her back.

"Tafna…Don't do that please. Tol kono mor."

The guard grunted, leaving the room.

"I'm sorry about them Colonel…Yodai is very untrusting of outsiders."

"What.the.hell…are you doing HERE!" Sam fumed.

Coombs stared at the ground and let out a huge sigh. "I got kicked out of the SGC."

"I know that…so have a lot of other scientists…they don't end up hundreds of feet below Egyptian deserts."

Coombs continued, "When news spread that an SGC scientist was jobless, offers of work came flooding in…but I wanted to do something completely different…Sakaya's offer seemed irresistable at the time…I didn't know that rebels or yourselves would be involved…I'm too afraid to get involved in anything like that…I thought it was just going to be Yodai and myself…I had not idea about…" He trailed off, before collecting himself. "Well…let's get started!"

Coombs hurried over to a crude light switch by the entrance to the room, and suddenly Sam found the room bathed in a cool blue light. The room was decorated with Hieroglyphs and was in better condition than the neglected corridors. Sam turned around slowly to get a better view of the cavernous room, and when she did, she got the shock of her life.

"Oh my…"

* * *

"I've gotta joke." Tyler said, cutting through the silence of their cell.

"What?"

"What do you call an Egyptian Taxi driver?"

"I don't know."

"Toot n come oot!"

"Was the great boy king not Tutankamun instead of Tutankamut?" Teal'c said.

"Oh never mind…it's a joke…for crying out loud."

"I have a joke." Teal'c stated.

"Lets hear it." Daniel droned, half-listening.

"How many ears has Mr Spock?"

"Don't know." Daniel groaned.

"Three. One left ear. One right ear. And one final front ear."

"Heard it." Tyler said wanly.

"I apologise."

Teal'c suddenly became silent, listening intently.

"What?"

"Footsteps."

Right as rain, a few moments later Sakaya appeared.

"You are free to go."

* * *

"C'mon! Let us out!" Jack called from yet another cell.

"Lettek me kal!" A guard angrily shouted at him.

"me kal…anno moy…chesl'i!" Jack shouted back. "Don't tell me to be quiet."

"Sakaya harn of tell."

"Is he now…well he better get back here quick…one of his science experiments is getting a littleantsy." Jack mumbled.

"Calm down sir." Pete said quietly.

"Pete? You okay?"

"Peachy…my head hurts."

"Yeah…mines is a bit achy too."

Pete dragged himself up to a seated position. He blinked a few times, getting his eyes adjusted to the light.

"How long was I out?"

"I don't know…they did me after you…I came round a few minutes ago."

Pete blinked again, screwing up his face at Jack.

"What did they do to you?" Pete asked.

"Why?"

"Well…your hair's kinda funny."

"Huh?"

"It's kinda red."

Jack raised an eyebrow, before reaching up and pulling out a few strands.

"What the? That's the colour my hair was before it went grey…maybe they made me younger."

Pete looked him up and down and appeared to be thinking of something profound to say.

"…No."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well you're no oil painting yourself."

"Hey I'm not that bad!"

"Well maybe not before."

Jack reached into his pocket, looking for his reflective metal canteen that the guards had yet to take it from him. After quickly examining his auburn hair, he handed the canteen to Pete.

"Oh my god…I…I look like one of the rebels."

"Yeah…big blue eyes and big spiny…things…Suits you."

"Oh ha ha."

"You're lucky…before I passed out, I started thinking in Ancient and I've said a few odd words since…Think Im okay now…Pete?"

But Pete wasn't listening. His face was a mixture of worry, concern, fear and upset.

"What if I'm stuck like this?"

* * *

"If you're wanting me to fly this thing…it's impossible…I don't have-"

"We know you don't have the Gene…but a lot of the rebels do and none of them can fly the craft either. I think the interfacing element within the ship's DHD is broken." Said Coombs, handing a stylus to the confused and bewildered Colonel. "We believe the ship was hit by some Goa'uld staff blasts which caused an overload."

"Where did you find the puddle jumper?"

"We found the…'Puddle Jumper'…at a recent dig in Giza…it's contents were catalogued and some interesting items are being stored for six months before they're transferred to the Pentagon."

"Why six months?" Sam quizzed.

"The Egyptian authorities are demanding to be involved in the Stargate Project and we have to get the necessary visas for some of the finds."

"Why does the Pentagon want them?"

"A Camcorder was found at the dig, sealed next to a canopic jar…We carbon-dated it…It's five thousand years old."

"Wow! Any theories?"

"None so far…we don't have permission to view the footage…but the Pentagon's trying to get permis-."

"Telle changa!"

"Lonat hoy!"

"What did he say?"

"Jump to it."

"What did you say?"

"How high?"

"Right."

And with that, Sam and Coombs set about repairing the Puddle Jumper's systems.

* * *

"Well…My eyesight's better…no more contacts!" Pete said, trying to find the silver lining in the cloud of his current predicament.

"My eyesight's always been perfect…apart from the odd Goa'uld shock grenade."

"I'm gonna save a fortune on shampoo."

"How?"

Pete rubbed his scalp. "I don't think this is hair…it's like feathers."

"Well pond water's free…so that's no problem."

"Ew!"

* * *

"We can't just go and leave them!" Tyler shouted angrily.

"If we refuse to co-operate, the guards may harm O'Neill, Colonel Carter or Pete Shanahan…it is best that we do as we are told." Teal'c tried to reassure Tyler.

"And once we get back to Kom El Shoqafa, our communication stones will work and we'll be able to contact Prometheus. We can launch a rescue."

The guards escorting them came to a halt, and moved out of the way, indicating that Daniel, Teal'c and Tyler should go on alone.

"Well…this must be the transporter…We'll need to do a thorough study of it later." Daniel said.

"Indeed."

"On three?" Tyler said.

"One…two…"

And with that, they found themselves back in the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa.

Daniel immediately pulled his stone out of his pocket and applied pressure to the stone's surface.

"Jackson to Prometheus…Jackson to Prometheus…please respond."

"Jackson this Prometheus…Colonel Pendergast speaking….we read you."

"Three to beam up."

As the Asgard beam engulfed them, Tyler shouted out.

"What a Cliché!"

* * *

The story's getting more and more confuzzling isn't it!

Please R and R!


End file.
